Rambling Soul

I'll pass banana for now...

2011-04-06T18:10:00.000-07:00

Australia is one of the countries whose currency is in dollars. The value, however, fluctuates a few cents. With this in mind I thought that the prices of some of the commodities Down Under would be a little bit more or less than what we have up in North America. I had a big surprise though when I stepped in a grocery store. Their prices were unbelievable. They are more than double as that of ours back home. Here below are a sampling of what they have.

Click image to enlarge.

Chicken at $5.79 a kilogram (1 kilogram = 2.204 pounds). That makes a pound of chicken at $2.63. I can't complain about our $0.99/lb.

Barbequed chicken at $10.90. I can't tell how many kilograms it is, but, by the looks of it, it's about 1 1/2 kilograms.

A bunch of spinach at $2.50. Bananas at $11.99 a kilogram. Cosmetics are also sky-high in prices.

However, kitchen appliances, electrical gadgets, household appliance are basically the same in prices as what we have. That also include electronics such as flat screen TVs, laptop computers, memory sticks and etc.

Clothings are the same in prices, some are made from other countries. I purchased a couple of blouses and a sweatshirt. Some are on sale as they are making room for winter clothes. It is now their autumn here and soon winter will be upon them. Our summer back in the U.S. is their winter here.

Grilled kangaroo anyone?

2011-03-24T17:38:00.000-07:00

Kangaroos abound here Down Under, but I have not seen one strutting before my eyes. I have seen a lot of them on TV though. This is one native animal I would like to see in person alive. But that will be a few days from now as my husband and I were promised by my sister-in-law's friend that she'll take us in the countryside and there'll be some there prancing before us.

In the meantime, my husband being an adventurous one when it comes to cuisine would like to try kangaroo meat. With the help of my husband's niece we found this exotic meat at the Queen Victoria Market in downtown Melbourne.

Kangaroo meat in marinade.

Gil, my husband's nephew, marinated the meat in bolgogi sauce, chopped onion, and crushed pepper corns.

On the grill.

And done, ready to eat.

My plate.

I thought I was not going to eat it, but it looked so good; tasted good I ate a lot. It was...yummy...yummy.

Across the oceans.

2011-03-24T17:27:00.000-07:00

Your voice crossed the Pacific,

So overjoyed to hear.

Glad to know you care;

And still remember

Your online buddy

Among so many.

Winter Wonderland

2011-01-12T16:00:00.000-08:00

Rarely do we get snow in our part of Southern California. Most of the time they are found in higher places, like Mount Baldy, or Big Bear. The last time we had snow was some 20 years ago.

In any event, snow started falling here on Jan. 2nd, in the early afternoon. It continued on until night time. After midnight the snow on the pavements melted and by morning we had a few scattered around on unpaved ground; and on plants, bushes and grass.

View of the front yard.

The houses across my street covered with snow.

In the front by the driveway.

In the back yard.

It's pouring...

2010-12-20T22:09:00.000-08:00

Rain soaked patio.

It's been raining the whole day and whole night. Nothing much to do...except, eat, watch tv, surf the web, sleep...and eat again. Got to do some walking out there; stretch my rusty legs; mobilize my system lest I stiffen.

If I stiffen I would be...
hard as a rock
laid in a pine box.

:-D

Misty little town

2010-12-06T21:16:00.001-08:00

We had a dose of rain last night and this was the sight I saw as I walked out of my front door this morning. The little town down the hill was covered with mist.

After a good dousing everything seemed so clean and fresh.

My succulent was happy to have been drenched with cool rain.

Misty view...
and more mist rising. It was not nippy today. It was a bit warmer than usual.

Hello!

2010-11-24T23:44:00.000-08:00

My long absence in the blogosphere had some of my friends wondering about my well-being. At this writing all is well. I am fine, and have been for quite sometime; for months now. I know, that in the past I have written about my struggle to pass a road of darkness; of uncertainty. That is all over now. I have a new lease in life and will take advantage of it as life is getting shorter each day.

Why the silence then? "Nabagsakan ng katam." I would rather play computer games than wrack my brain for an essay. I would rather sleep; go biking and eat than think.

In any event, I thank the good souls out there who were concerned.

Good night all...and Happy Thanksgiving.

Heat wave

2010-07-17T17:53:00.001-07:00

Ten days ago I would wake up in the morning and look out my balcony and see mist shrouding the hillside below. It hovered up to my house, to the trees and to my backyard. The temperature was cool much like late winter or early spring. Summer seemed to have moved farther away from my calendar. But days later it turned nasty...wicked...wickedly hot.

Ninety degrees Fahrenheit was the temperature recorded in my patio 2 days ago. Yesterday, Friday, it was at 100F degrees! I was dripping wet with sweat when outdoors. So, I stay in the safety of a cool air-conditioned room to avoid any heat stroke.

Global warming? Hmm...Al Gore must be saying, "I told you so."

Sunday siesta and mangos

2010-07-12T23:54:00.000-07:00

I woke up from my siesta and felt like snacking on something. Took the stairs and made my way to the kitchen and searched for something to fill my hungry tummy. Looking around and there they are...mangos (or mangoes). I sliced one and about to gobble it up when hubby came from behind me; caught me. In any event, I shared with him some. He doesn't eat much of it, so I had most of it.

They are now in season. And when they come in truck loads they sell them really cheap. I bought these ones at 4 for a $1. They are good the way they are or dipped in bagoong (shrimp paste). Yum!

Oldies but goodies

2010-07-01T23:50:00.000-07:00

My husband and I cruised on down to Old Town Newhall last Sunday to see the vintage cars on display. These old cars date back to the 1930's and up to the early 1970's. They are pampered by their owners; and have spent so much money on them.

They are candy colored from a distance. There are no posted information about the cars' make, year it was built and so on. Some of them have retained their old engines replacing some faulty or rusty parts. Others have totally replaced them.

A Jaguar. Can't tell what year this was built.
(Click image to enlarge.)

1950's convertibles.

A flatbed truck. Can't tell what year.

I love this one. A hardtop convertible with the top going in the trunk. The top must have been custom built.

Must be of the 1930's. Not sure, though.

Another version of the one above. This one has 6 wheels.

Multi-colored cars.

Truck of the 1960's?

A blue 1930's.

A gray 1930's. This reminds me of the era of Al Capone.

Another truck. This one has white side wall tires. Fancy.

More cars.

This one has two fronts and two steering wheels.

Here's the interior.

This is a new car. I've seen some in town and they are kind of cute. They are made in France.

This band provided the music. At the time I took the picture they were playing The Rolling Stones' (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction.

I can't get no satisfaction
I can't get no satisfaction
'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try
I can't get no, I can't get no

When I'm drivin' in my car
And a man comes on the radio
He's telling me more and more
About some useless information
Supposed to fire my imagination

I can't get no, oh no no no
Hey hey hey, that's what I say
I can't get no satisfaction
I can't get no satisfaction
'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try
I can't get no, I......

I have sinned

2010-06-14T22:48:00.000-07:00

Do I feel guilty? NO! Of course not.

Eating something I have not had for quite sometime, and something that would make my diet out of wack was a guilty pleasure. It was not one of those very special kind of food, and in actually, it was but a simple easy to prepare pancake.

What's left of the 2 thick 7-inch dia. pancakes.

My husband and I took an early morning walk last Saturday, and instead of driving back home after, we drove to Denny's Restaurant, a 24-hour eatery, and had breakfast there. I ordered 2 pancakes and coffee. I slathered the butter and poured the syrup over my pancakes and ate it, savoring every morsel. Hmmm...it was heavenly. I know that the butter would clog my arteries, and the sugary syrup would feed those little creepy crawly cells inside of me, and attack me later on. But life is getting shorter to not enjoy it.

I will end up in a pine box anyway, but I will have enjoyed life and I'll have a fun ride. WOO HOO!

Been wondering

2010-06-09T09:26:00.000-07:00

I found a wallet many years ago. It was on a weekday, when my co-workers and I took a lunch break. We parked on the street, and while I dug for coins in my purse to feed the parking meter, the two went ahead to the restaurant to get a table. As I rushed to join them, I saw the wallet on the sidewalk. I looked around to see if the owner was still around, but there was no one in my immediate surrounding. I went ahead to the restaurant and showed my boss and her associate what I found - an inexpensive blue cloth wallet. She, my boss, opened the wallet and counted the money. There was a total of $27 in one dollar denomination; no ID card. But there was a library card with the owner's name.

"A young girl owns this," she said. That's obvious since it didn't have a driver's license, no credit cards, receipts or other stuff that clutter older people's wallet.

After work, I went to the nearest library which was about 3 miles away from the office and dropped the wallet there. The young woman at the counter looked inside the wallet and counted the money. She then wound a tape around it and let me go. She did not get my name, nor my phone number.

That was many years ago...maybe about 8 or so. I never went back to the library.

I'm just wondering now, if Allison (I forgot her last name), who by this time could be in her 20's, has ever been reunited with her wallet.

Found keys!

2010-05-27T21:30:00.000-07:00

My husband and I take a walk in the evening at the bike path, by the river. It is 2 miles down the hill from where we live. We drive there, park our car and walk at the pedestrian lane alongside the bike path. We go eastward for half an hour and back for another half hour.

About 2 weeks ago, on a nice warm early evening we did the same routine. On the way back to our car we saw a sign taped on the drinking fountain's post that said, "If you found keys pls. call 000-000-0000. Tks." A few yards away my husband saw the keys hanging on the latch of the gate that led to the parking lot. He took the keys and handed it to me. I pulled the sign and tried to call the owner, but I didn't get an answer.

The next morning I called the number again and an answering machine turned on and I left a message and my land line phone number. In less than 5 minutes my phone rang and it was the owner. I told him I have his keys and he can come and get it. I gave him the direction to my house.

At 9 AM my door bell rang. He was on the dot. I opened the door and saw a tall man (over 6' in height). He is about 35 - 40 years old with a few gray hair near his temples. Nicely built, kind of like a Hugh Jackman type.

We did the usual greetings then I handed him his note and his keys. He thanked me profusely, then shook my hand; wished me a nice day and left.

Hey, come back any time! We'll have coffee, tea, or beer, you and me.

On the brink of death.

2010-05-18T22:17:00.000-07:00

We left the Reserve a little before 2 PM and headed toward the city of Lancaster. Near the freeway entrance is a shopping center where we found a Mexican Market that has an eatery inside, and we had our late lunch there. After we had our meal, we did a little bit of shopping. Then before we headed out the door, my husband went back to the food area to buy some chicharon. They have big ones, some over a foot in length. They are sold by the pound.

On the drive back home I was sad. My first digital, now 6 years old, is about to go kaput. My husband said it's about time I buy a new and better one; a dslr—digital single-lens reflex. I don't need a dslr camera. A simple camera would be enough for me. I am not aiming to be a professional photographer.

Canon PowerShot S50
My first digital camera, on the brink of death. :-(

I bought my first camera when I was in high school. I don't remember what happened to it. My second one, a hand-me-down from my father; a Kodak. Another Kodak hand-me-down, was my third. Then a Petri, was my fourth. It lasted me a long time, until it stopped working. I don't know where it is now, probably in the dump somewhere. I replaced it with a Nikon, which this time I bought. It is the most sophisticated camera I ever have. It has a zoom lens of 70 to 200. Finding this camera too cumbersome to carry around, I bought a point-and-shoot—a Nikon Lite, my last film camera.

A couple of the pictures I posted on my last publication below, was taken by my husband with his ancient digital camera. His first and only camera. If I'm not mistaken he bought it over a decade ago; and cost him an arm and...perhaps a leg. He's so proud of it. It uses 3 1/2” floppy discs; and downloads the pictures in a pc with a 3 1/2” floppy drive. It does take good pictures.

Sony Digital Mavica MVC-FD91
My husband's ancient digital camera.

Now before heading straight home from Lancaster, we stopped at Sam's Club to do a little grocery shopping. I went directly to their camera department to see what they have. I readily picked up a Canon PowerShot SX20IS, the least expensive of the lot; asked a few questions from the sales associate then went on with our shopping.

That night I browsed the internet to see more cameras, and their prices. My heart was dead set on the SX20IS. I like the features and 95% of the reviews were good. The price is almost the same as my first digital, a Canon PowerShot S50. Digital cameras nowadays are less expensive than the first ones, as the prices get more competitive.

Two days later I went to Best Buy to see again for myself the camera; to handle it and see all the features. I like it very much.

The next morning I worked on my camera. Blew whatever dust got stuck in it, then gingerly pushed the cover to close it. I put the battery in then slid open the cover, and the lens came out. Alleluia! It's working! It's working! I took some shots to test it and yes...yes, it's working.

The Canon PowerShot SX20IS.

But, I'm still thinking of that one above, the Canon PowerShot SX20IS. Where is my piggy bank?

The hills are alive...

2010-05-09T16:49:00.000-07:00

...with poppy flowers. Well, rolling plains, is more like it.

To beat the crowd, hubby and I drove up to Lancaster one Friday morning to see for the first time the California poppies I've been hearing about. Lancaster is 45 miles from my place, and the California Poppy Reserve is another 15 miles from the hub of the city. After exiting freeway 14 we drove through a single lane paved road, and passed an expanse of land without any vegetation, except for a few Joshua trees, some tumbleweeds, and other desert weeds. This place is high desert; windy and extremely cold or hot. Getting closer to the Reserve one can see the wild flowers scattered along the road and beyond. The color of yellow-orange is so vivid I was tempted to stop the car and take a closer look. Some cars have parked on the shoulder to take pictures of the flowers.

This shot was taken a couple of miles before the reserve,
and while the car was running.
(Click image to enlarge.)

Since our destination was the Reserve my husband just kept driving till we reached the place. There is ample parking with fee, of course; restrooms with portable lavatories; picnic tables, and benches along the trails. As usual, it was windy and a bit cold, so I donned my spare light jacket to keep warm; and braced myself from being knocked down or blown away. :-D.

A panoramic view.

Poppies as far as the eye can see.

The California State flower, up close...

...and windblown.

The Old Glory and the California flag flying high.

I took shots of the hilly place, and close-up of the flowers. Then my camera's cover got stuck. And that was the end of my shooting spree. Oh, darn. I think, dust got in it. At any rate, above were some of the shots I took.

Destination Redondo Beach...again.

2010-05-02T17:50:00.000-07:00

It has been only the past month that I have gone back to Redondo Beach. Three months previous to that, I was on a journey that did not allow me to venture outdoors that much. I did some short trips to grocery stores, with my husband, for our basic needs. On the last Saturday of the month of April was my second trip back there. Hubby and I always go there and we head out to make it just in time for lunch.

Spicy seafood soup.
(click image to enlarge)

Our favorite lunch place is a Korean Restaurant right on the pier. We have tried other restaurants, on the pier and on the boardwalk, but theirs have the best seafood soup. It consists of chunks of halibut, slices of tofu, slices of daikon, some pre-cooked shrimps, napa or Chinese cabbage, onions, green onions, and Korean chili powder. It is chili hot; and the first time I had it, heat seemed to come out from my nose, ears and eyes. But now I'm used to it. The order is served in the wok it was cooked in, and it comes with a bowl of rice for each person and a bowl of kim chee.

We strolled the pier and the boardwalk, after we had our fill of the soup. Fish were not biting much that day. I've seen only a few fishermen catch mackerel, which usually swim by the pier.

Something interesting would always catch our eyes, each time we are there, like this bird who was about to gulp his/her 3rd fish head left by fishermen on the cutting table.

Farther down the pier was a man feeding pigeons...

...while this pelican would rather take a rest...and then, finally, dosed off.

A fishing boat being trailed by a flock of birds waiting for hand outs from the fishermen.

A lone man paddling by himself. Paddle and board can be rented by the boat slips.

Clams on a race to the top of the rock. I wonder how long it took them to reach the top. :-D

Dried spider crabs.

Inside the fish store we found that prices of fish have gone up. Up high.

Tilapia...

...and red snapper.

By the boat slips a family was pedaling a rental boat. They had a hard time maneuvering it as it didn't have a steering wheel. The pedals are used to steer it.

Two girls walking their bikes on the lower board walk. Bike paths are on the upper boardwalk where they can ride their bikes.

These two having fun with their converted bikes.

And on our way home, a plane with a Swiss flag at its tail was ready to land at the Los Angeles International Airport, a few miles from the freeway.

We were home in 45 minutes. What a day!

A birthday bash at 85!

2010-04-23T15:47:00.000-07:00

I figured we would be half an hour late, but it went beyond that. We, my husband and I, got to the party an hour late. It started at 11 AM and was to end 3:30 PM, so an hour was not bad. The food was buffet style, and there were still plenty left. On our way there, we made a wrong turn and got past our exit on the freeway. We exited after noticing that we reached the next town already, and we looked for familiar street names. We found one, and drove till we got there. The party was well underway, but some tables still have empty chairs left, so we grabbed a couple for us.

The invitation.

(click image to enlarge)

The birthday girl...err...celebrant was my landlady some decades ago. Till now she never forgets to invite me and my husband at her parties. When she turned 80 five years ago, we were there to celebrate with her. It was a casual party with a few friends in attendance. I gave her a 16" x 20" oil painting.

This time, I gave her an 8" x 10" painting I did summer of 2009.

The celebrant dancing with a guest.

Now turning 85 is a bigger milestone. More people were invited and she was dressed to the hilt in a white, lacy embroidered gown. It is amazing that at her age she can still dance a little, though I noticed that she has a bit of a hunch and has a hard time getting on her feet. She has some gray hair; some wrinkles; but all in all she looks fantastic, and very alert. Except for the stiffness of joints she could pass for a 60-year-old.

The celebrant with some guests.

There was a short program that included a toast with a brief biography of the celebrant; introduction of the offspring and their children; her siblings and their spouses and children. This party was given to her by her 3 children. The oldest now in his late forties; the middle, a woman in her forties, married with children; and the youngest in his early forties, married with children, as well. The celebrant's husband and father of the children passed away sometime in the 1970s.

Guests hitting the dance floor.

And, as usual, in any Filipino party there is always dancing. As soon as the music was on everyone was at the floor doing their line dancing, cha-chas, and mambos...except for me. I have forgotten the steps of those dances, and besides my husband has 2 left feet. With a slow dance, he always stepped on my foot. Ouch! So, I'd rather not dance. Why suffer?

When we said good-bye to her youngest, he said, "See you in 5 years." I gave him a thumbs up. It's possible she would still be around by that time.

Would I wish to get to that age? Yes, if I could still boogie and eat without dentures.

Never a dull moment

2010-04-16T22:28:00.000-07:00

I was halfway through reading my niece's email when the telephone rang. I picked it up and saw that it was my friend, Jun. "Hello," I greeted her.

"Good morning. How are you?" she greeted me back.

"Good, I'm good. What's going on?"

"Nice day today, huh?" she said. The sun was out and it seems it's going to be warmer than the previous days, where the sun peeked in and out of the clouds and there was a slight breeze.

"Yup, better than yesterday, and the other days. Clear blue sky," I said as I looked out the window.

"Don't you feel like going out? I don't want to stay home and get fungus on me," she added.

"You mean get moldy," I said.

"Right," she replied.

It's a Tuesday and there's a free flea market about 6 miles from where I live. Since I've been cooped up in the house during those days, I haven't seen nor gone out with Jun and my other friends. We talked on the phone quite often, and she understood why I can't meet with her. I've gone out a lot of times mostly with my husband to do some grocery shopping. She knew that I've passed "that route" already, and figured that this time, as I have alluded to her, that I might be ready to meet her.

"It's a little past 10 o'clock; it's still early. Okay, I'll get dressed then I'll call you."

I have not driven my car for like 6 months and it seems I'm not sure of my confidence to drive again, unless someone is there by me. My husband drove me all those times.

Jun promised to pick me up. I called her as soon as I was ready and she was there in my driveway in no time at all. I jumped on her car and gave her a hug. We haven't seen each other for a while and during those times she has grown her hair long. She usually wears a short hairdo.

We chatted non-stop as she drove, till we got to the flea market. Maybe I'll be lucky this time and find some good stuff. I bought a lot of frames here. Some were used with a couple of nicks, but I retouch those with acrylic paint. Some were never used still wrapped in kraft paper. I bought some canvasses in their original wrappers, oil paints, watercolors and brushes; and the prices are unbelievably low.

This time I got myself a small gold leafed photo frame for a 5" x 7" picture for a measly $0.75!; a pair of gel shoe insoles for $0.50; and a glass tumbler for 0.25, and all in it's original packages. The tumbler will be for my bathroom; time to replace the old beat up plastic one I have. It was not much this day, but going out there was fun and worth the time.

(click image to enlarge)

After our flea market sojourn we headed for lunch at a fast food restaurant. While we ate our fish sandwiches we talked and laughed, talked and laughed, and talked and laughed some more.

Then we drove to a nearby clothes store to shop for some clothes. Jun needed light clothes for her trip to Hawaii this coming week. She found a few she liked, and a nice bejeweled pair of sandals. I bought a cute cotton hat for me; could not find a nice, cheap...err...inexpensive pair of shoes.

On the way home I said to Jun, "My husband isn't home. He's in prison!" Then I laughed. I have never laughed so much for quite a long time.

"Whaaat?" was Jun's surprised question. Then she laughed, as well, realizing it was a joke. "Why you!" she added.

"He's at the polling place; he's the inspector. Today is local election day," I said.

She dropped me off at my house. I thanked her and we said our good-byes. We had fun. There's never a dull moment with Jun.

The road less traveled

2010-04-03T17:44:00.000-07:00

It's been a long while. I was on a journey, an uncertain one. The road was dark, desolate, and forbidding; but it was one I have to take. There was no other route. Along the way my life flashed before my eyes; saw myself when I was a young girl till my adulthood. I remember my friends in high school, and wondered where they are now. I reminisced my college days; and thought about my siblings and parents.

My life seemed to have made a screeching halt some 6 months ago, but I moved on determined to pass the dark clouds above my head. I trudged on hoping to reach the end of the lonely road; hoping to see a silver lining behind the dark clouds. And what seemed to take forever finally ended. I was there at the end of the road.

The sun was brightly shining and I basked in it. I felt the warmth on my arms, face and my bare head. What a joy!

I have passed the dark clouds and now there was a clear blue sky. Then it dawned on me that I am not out of the woods yet. I, however, will go on and take it one day at a time... and celebrate.

Thank you all...

2009-12-28T08:30:00.000-08:00

...my blogger friends who have visited,

sent greetings by email,

and made comments on my posts.

I am sorry I have not visited any of you for a while.

Hopefully, I'll be able to by next year.

May you all have a Blessed

and Happy New Year!

Mari

Flash back

2009-11-27T21:44:00.000-08:00

The ceiling fan is slowly spinning, casting a soft shadow on the cottage-cheese-finish of the gypsum board ceiling. As I stared at it my thoughts raced back to that day when I was a kid of 10, ill in bed. The ceiling of my room was made of planks of wood with old faded white paint. I don't remember how long I've been sick; never counted the days. All I wanted was to get better and be on my feet again.

In the morning my 2 older siblings and my mom would leave for school, and I was left in the care of someone. She cooked my meals which at that time was tasteless; checked on me from time to time; and felt my temperature with the back of her hand on my forehead.

It was so quiet during the morning until mid-afternoon. There were times I dozed off. When kids in the neighborhood were back home from school, I could hear them playing, laughing and having fun. I longed to be with them, and have fun myself.

At this time my mom, brother and sister would be back from school, they would come and visit me in my room. My mom would check my temperature, and made sure I was doing okay; that I was getting better...not on the brink of death. I learned later on, when I was already an adult that I had pneumonia.

One day, feeling much better, I got up and tried to walk. On my first step my knees buckled under my weight and I fell on the floor. But instead of crying, I laughed. I was so happy that I could get up and be on my feet again, though shaky. A little friend who was visiting me at that time laughed with me. I would get up and try again, though knowing that I'm still weak and would hit the floor...again. Still it didn't matter. We laughed till we were spent.

A few days later on, I was back in school; glad to be up and about.

The ceiling fan is still going on; is having a hypnotic effect, and the hum of the motor...is...lulling...me...to...s l e e p.

Vote for a young hero

2009-10-22T20:35:00.000-07:00

CNN HEROES: EFREN PENAFLORIDA

CAVITE CITY, Philippines (CNN) -- At 16, Rhandolf Fajardo reflects on his former life as a gang member.

Efren Peñaflorida's Dynamic Teen Company
offers Filipino youth an alternative to gangs through education.

"My gang mates were the most influential thing in my life," says Fajardo, who joined a gang when he was in sixth grade. "We were pressured to join."

He's not alone. In the Philippines, teenage membership in urban gangs has surged to an estimated 130,000 in the past 10 years, according to the Preda Foundation, a local human rights charity.

"I thought I'd get stuck in that situation and that my life would never improve," recalls Fajardo. "I would probably be in jail right now, most likely a drug addict -- if I hadn't met Efren."

Efren Peñaflorida, 28, also was bullied by gangs in high school. Today, he offers Filipino youth an alternative to gang membership through education.

(Click below to vote for Efren. --Mari)

Vote now for the CNN Hero of the Year

"Gang members are groomed in the slums as early as 9 years old," says Peñaflorida. "They are all victims of poverty."

For the past 12 years, Peñaflorida and his team of teen volunteers have taught basic reading and writing to children living on the streets. Their main tool: A pushcart classroom.

Stocked with books, pens, tables and chairs, his Dynamic Teen Company recreates a school setting in unconventional locations such as the cemetery and municipal trash dump.

Peñaflorida knows firsthand the adversity faced by these children. Born into a poor family, he lived in a shanty near the city dump site. But he says he refused to allow his circumstances to define his future.

"Instead of being discouraged, I promised myself that I would pursue education," he recalls. "I will strive hard; I will do my best."

Don't Miss

In high school, Peñaflorida faced a new set of challenges. Gang activity was rampant; they terrorized the student body, vandalized the school and inducted members by forcing them to rape young girls, he says.

"I felt the social discrimination. I was afraid to walk down the street."

Peñaflorida remembers standing up to a gang leader, refusing to join his gang. That confrontation proved fateful. At 16, he and his friends "got the idea to divert teenagers like us to be productive," he says.

He created the Dynamic Teen Company to offer his classmates an outlet to lift up themselves and their community. For Peñaflorida, that meant returning to the slums of his childhood to give kids the education he felt they deserved.

"They need education to be successful in life. It's just giving them what others gave to me," he says.

Today, children ranging from ages 2 to 14 flock to the pushcart every Saturday to learn reading, writing, arithmetic and English from Peñaflorida and his trained teen volunteers.

Watch Peñaflorida and his group in action with their push cart classroom »

"Our volunteers serve as an inspiration to other children," he says.

The group also runs a hygiene clinic, where children can get a bath and learn how to brush their teeth.

Since 1997, an estimated 10,000 members have helped teach more than 1,500 children living in the slums. The organization supports its efforts by making and selling crafts and collecting items to recycle.

Take a look at the slums where Peñaflorida and his group spend their Saturdays »

Through his group, Peñaflorida has successfully mentored former gang members, addicts and dropouts, seeing potential where others see problems.

"Before, I really didn't care for my life," says Michael Advincula, who started doing drugs when he was 7. "But then Efren patiently dug me from where I was buried. It was Efren who pushed me to get my life together."

Watch Advincula describe how he met Peñaflorida in the slums »

Today, Advincula is a senior in high school and one of the group's volunteers.

Peñaflorida hopes to expand the pushcart to other areas, giving more children the chance to learn and stay out of gangs.

"I always tell my volunteers that you are the change that you dream and I am the change that I dream. And collectively we are the change that this world needs to be."

************************

Voting is being conducted through an online poll at CNN.com/Heroes, ending November 19 (6 a.m. ET)

Source: CNN.com

A little help would go a long way...

2009-10-17T16:09:00.000-07:00

Click image to enlarge.

Below is a forwarded message I got in my email. I thought I would post it here rather than forward it again.

Hi Folks,

I'm sure you do want to help our poor people back home in the Philippines--we cannot but see the reality of their situation--it is all over the news, TV, radio, internet, etc. and it is truly heart-breaking and heartrending.

Well - God provided an easy way to help - He touched the hearts of the owners of MAYFLOWER RESTAURANT in Chinatown (Los Angeles, CA) . They are offering 50% of whatever sale they will generate on TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27 - FROM 10:00 a.m.. - 10:00 p.m. (Please see attached flyer)

This will only cost you whatever you are willing to pay for a meal - at the same time that you are helping our kapwa Pilipino!

But you can help further and go an extra mile by forwarding this email / flyer to all your friends, co-workers, etc - and by word of mouth - invite them to join you for a meal at Mayflower Restaurant - you can also ask your Pastors, Employers, etc. to have the flyer posted on your bulletin - the more people who will eat there - the more funds we can get .

It is really very simple, isn't it - so I am hoping to see you there on the 27th with everybody you can invite - let us match the generosity of Ha and his family - it took a Chinese Restaurant to think of this very creative and generous way of being in solidarity with those who are suffering - God will bless them abundantly.

Salamat po mula sa puso at pagpalain tayong lahat ng Diyos!

Sr. M. Christina, rgs

Little Tokyo in a day.

2009-08-26T22:05:00.000-07:00

overdue post

i have put this post on hold since the assault of a vengeful right hand. it took upon itself to cut the left finger on the other hand as it had alleged it doesn't do much work as itself does. however, the revenge boomeranged. it is doing much more work now; and can't wait for the victim to heal of its wound.

so does my husband who the other day asked me, "when are your stitches going to be taken out?" my evil eyes looked at him and i gave him an evil smile and said, "why? are you tired of washing dishes?" he smiled his sweetest. hah...hah...hah. he probably appreciates now what i do in the kitchen--the same boring chore day in and day out. he helps, but i do the heavier stuff.

in any event, i will put this in publication as it is now long over due.
Little Tokyo in a rush
My friend, Jun, asked me to accompany her to the Japanese Consulate in downtown Los Angeles. Jun is of Japanese citizenship; and has been in this country for over 40 years. She, however, has not changed her citizenship despite the fact that she once was married to an American and has 3 beautiful children with him. She goes to the consulate to update her papers or status...or whatever.

click image to enlarge

We met at the parking lot of the smaller train station, about 3 miles from my house. This one has a smaller lot and it was almost full when I got there at about 9:00 in the morning. We were to catch the 9:45 train. She came a few minutes after I got there. We got our tickets; boarded the train; and we were at the Union Station 55 minutes later.

We boarded the same bus as I did with my husband, and got off right across the street of the building -- Two California Plaza on South Grand Ave. The skyscraper has 52 stories constructed of concrete, glass and steel; and of modern architecture.

Security was tight that we have to present our IDs at
the front desk and they handed us a computer printed name tags we stuck on our clothes. As one of the young men handed me my name tag he said something I didn't understand. I gave him a quizzical look. With that he asked, "You're not Japanese?"

I shook my head and said, "No."

"I'm sorry. The consulate is on the 17th floor," he said.

"I'm Japanese," Jun said. And they talked a bit in Japanese.

We took the elevator to the consulate. At the door of the consulate there is a security guard. We opened our purses for inspection. I have to leave my bottled water at the hallway, as it's not allowed. We got in; got out in about half an hour. Her business there was done pretty quick, as she had all her papers ready.

We then headed to the bus stop. Took the same bus; got off; took another bus heading towards Little Tokyo where we were to have lunch...and a little grocery shopping. We were short of time, but I managed to shoot a few photos.
The Walt Disney Concert Hall
click image to enlarge

We boarded a bus across the Disney Hall...

...and got off a few yards from this tower. This tower marks where the Japanese village is. Going around in that place is like going inside a tiny village. It has walkways and trees and shops. We found a small restaurant and went in. We were not looking for a fancy restaurant, as we were famished.
I had a combo of teriyaki pork, green salad, fried potato salad, rice and...ham with scrambled eggs. The ham was too salty -- as is always with processed food. I wonder why the plate had ham and eggs. Usually it's for breakfast, but it's in their lunch menu. jun had the same combo, but instead of teriyaki she had fried breaded shrimp. The food was good for two hungry people.

After our lunch we headed to Marukai -- a Japanese market. Marukai is in a wing of a 3-story building. Beside the building is a small plaza.
And in it is a replica of the space Orbiter Challenger...

...and a bust of the first Japanese-American astronaut--Ellison Onizuka. Astronaut Onizuka was one of the crew who perished when the Challenger exploded right after it took off.

We got inside the market and Jun grabbed the things she needed. I was checking the time. If we don't get the 3:45 train, we'll have to wait for the 6 PM one and that would be too late for us. There is one at 4:30, but it won't get to our station where we parked our cars.

Jun got most of her grocery and we got out of there in half an hour. We got to the train station just in time, and boarded right away. We stayed at the lower deck as she had a bulky rolling cart that was full of groceries. The train was packed with passengers heading home.

A few minutes before the train got to our station, a couple of sheriffs entered our car and asked each passenger to show their tickets. We showed them ours. I wonder if there ever are passengers who never buy their tickets. i hardly see anyone, a conductor perhaps, check passengers' tickets.

We pulled in at our home station in 60 minutes; and home sweet home in 5 minutes. I slept tight that night, and woke up as usual...late.

addiction

2009-08-19T23:53:00.000-07:00

i have spent more time blogging and surfing the internet than anything else. the summer class is over and i have completed one measly painting--pink geranium. and this painting doesn't even look any good. could i make myself better? yes, if i do more; paint more. as of now, however, i have this unshakable addiction to the internet. my day is not complete if i don't log on. i am unable to use my left hand as i have injured my finger, still i am undeterred typing with one hand.

:-p

I sliced the eggplant...and ouch!

2009-08-14T16:05:00.000-07:00

when the knife hit my finger i prayed it would only be like a paper cut. it was not! i saw a deep cut with blood ready to ooze out. i grabbed a paper towel right away and ran to my husband and showed it to him. he dropped what he was doing and ran upstairs with me right behind him.

i snatched a clean pair of pants from the closet; pulled it on with one hand. blood was dripping on the carpet, on the bed and on my pants. my husband got some cotton and pressed them on my finger; wrapped them tight with paper-like tape. then he helped me put on my t-shirt.

we drove down to urgency care about 10 miles away.

we got there. i registered; paid my fee and waited for my call. waited and waited,,,and waited. after half an hour a nurse called me. she got my vital signs then led me to a room and made me sit. she said i'd be the doctor's first patient when he comes in. it was half past 12 noon already. the doctor must've gone to lunch.

i heard people talking in the hallway; footsteps. then silence. everyone left? they forgot me? hello? i'm dying here.

i heard footsteps again. the nurse passed my door and said, the doctor will be right with you. i thanked her. then she was gone.

a few minutes later a man garbed in white came in the room. his tag said, dr. tran, family practice. he's lightly built; about 5'-3". first thing he asked me was, what i was cutting. if i cut meat also. no, just vegetable, was my reply. can you bend your finger? i did bend it a bit.

he undressed my finger and more blood oozed. he washed it with some kind of liquid; blotted it dry a bit; and injected a topical anesthesia. he then got sutures that the nurse gave him and stitched my cut together. while he was doing that blood was still spurting from some open cut. finally, he got them all stitched up. the nurse cleaned my hand; dressed the finger and sent me off.

that was yesterday. today i am to change the dressing, i'm afraid to look at it. i'll let my nurse, my husband, do it for me.

if it's not fish bone in my throat; cut on my finger; or ear infection it's something else. it's the peril of being alive.

And the awards go to ...

2009-08-12T00:54:00.000-07:00

...me.

Lovely Blog Award From Bonnie Bonsai

Here are the rules that MUST be followed:

1. Add the logo to your blog.
2. Link to the person from whom you received this award
3. Nominate 7 or more blogs
4. Leave a message on their blog,letting them know they are "One Lovely Blog"!

So here are 7 ingredients, which I love to see in a blog:

1. A lovely host or in other words a good friend
2. Lovely art (candles or other crafts)
3. Lovely communities offering lovely friendship
4. Lovely memes
5. Lovely photography
6. Lovely quizzes or tips
7. Lovely quotes or inspirational thoughts

Second

The second award.

Thanks for these awards Bonnie. They are lovely. I could use them to decorate my bedroom.

Now I pass these awards to all those beautiful posters who come and visit my blog. So, grab these they are free for the taking. YEAH!

Heading home

2009-08-07T22:30:00.000-07:00

The bus made another turn this time to the left, and stopped right there in front of The Union Station. I nodded to my husband. He stood up and made for the door, and he helped me alight. We walked toward the station.

The fancy crosswalk at the main street in front of the station.

(Click images to enlarge)

The Union Station.

This building was built in 1939. It is a combination of Spanish and Moorish architecture on the exterior; and the interior is of art deco style.

The information kiosk manned by friendly employees. They have maps, brochures, and schedules ready for those who come to ask for assistance, or for direction.

Behind the kiosk are a restaurant and a store, and the spacious waiting area with rows and rows of upholstered comfortable seats. All the materials are original. They have not been replaced since it was erected. The ceiling is richly designed with chandelier. On both sides of the area are doors that lead to landscaped courtyards with benches and fountains.

This was the ticket lobby that is now closed to the public, due to the decline of train ridership. It has a row of about 2 dozens ticket windows. During its heyday this was the place where every one came to travel to all parts of the country. It was then used by everyone from all walks of life -- from the rich and famous to the not rich and obscure people. There is now in its place a smaller ticket booth that is served by 2 people; and computers are used to dispense tickets. Departure and arrival of trains are posted on a board electronically by a computer

We found a secluded seat for two and waited till our train pulls in. My husband took a catnap while I looked around and observed people around me. There were 2 young people with big backpacks and duffel bags who came in and purchased tickets. I assumed they were going out of town. Some people have just arrived pulling their big luggage. They must be from out of town. They were met by some friends or relatives.

Union Station has resurrected in the early 1990's when Metrolink was introduced giving the public convenient transportation to and from the outskirts of Los Angeles County and downtown; and to neighboring counties as well. Ridership has gone up and some companies are subsidizing their employees' tickets. That saves them parking fee which costs a lot in downtown. And, also, it reduces traffic and pollution.

When it started operating, we were sent free tickets. I never had the chance to use those. Students in our area have field trips to the city to give them a chance to experience riding the train; and to encourage them to use it. It is now a popular mode of transportation. Some passengers can take their bikes on the train; and when they disembark they can use their bikes to where they are going. Lockers are provided for those who don't want to take their bikes with them.

Half an hour before our train pulls out we headed to the platform.

It was perfect timing. The train just came in and we headed to the upper level; found seats for two in the back row and waited. We chugged out of there 20 minutes later.

We passed this very old bridge. There was something I like about the arches. It's full of graffiti and grime, but I just love it. I must be nuts!

The train picked up speed and at the first station picked up some more passengers, and moved on again, stopping at other stations.

About 40 minutes later we were getting close to our home station. The traffic going north (cars in background going left) has already built up. Had we taken our car we would be one of those stuck in bumper to bumper traffic. Going south towards downtown Los Angeles, traffic was light. At this time everyone was heading home after a hard day's work. In the meantime, we were taking it easy inside the air-conditioned train. My husband closed his eyes again and took a nap. I'm glad he didn't snore.

And finally, here we were back to where we boarded the train. I was so tired from all that walking. That night I slept like a log. I was glad I woke up the next morning. I'm alive!!!

Children on the street

2009-07-31T23:50:00.000-07:00

As I sat on the bus, I thought about that woman on the corner of 6th and Broadway streets. She has a news stand at the edge of the sidewalk, a few inches from the curb.

Click image to enlarge

The woman sat by her merchandise cuddling her baby. And among her stacks of newspapers and magazines was a small niche where her other child - about 2 years old - is confined to playing in that small area. Nearby is the baby's stroller tucked close to her other merchandise. Around her are people waiting for the bus, or for the signal to cross the street.

It saddened my heart to see these children right there exposed to the elements; to contagious diseases floating in the air. These kids should be playing in a yard, or at least in the confines of their home.

Perhaps she can't find someone she can trust to care for her children while she ekes out a living. With a meager earning, to hire a baby sitter would be out of the question.

The bus turned a corner and Union Station is in sight.

And we walked...

2009-07-27T00:59:00.000-07:00

...some more.

(Enlarge images by clicking.)

Broadway street had changed so much from the last time I've seen it. This portion of it where we were walking--between the 7th and 5th streets--has deteriorated. The demographic had changed. There was a stench in some areas. The sidewalk is patched up unevenly, and covered with chewing gum. Most of the buildings have been neglected, abandoned.

As I look at them, I can still see the beauty in them despite the grime and the graffiti.

These buildings have seen better days, perhaps, in the 1930's or 1940's. During those days this must have been the place to watch the latest movie and see plays on stage. This street is the theater district or was the theater district. Nowadays movie houses are in malls and other areas of the city. And the latest stage plays and musical shows are held at the Music Center which is only a few blocks away.

This movie house has been spruced up. It must be one of those buildings bought for a song and brought to life by the new owner.

Close up of building above.

This building has some intricate lattice work.

At the corner of 5th street on Broadway, we made a right turn--going east.

We made it to the corner of Main where we were to catch another bus. This street doesn't look good. There's a man in a wheelchair and seems to me he is asleep. He has been that way the whole time we were there.

We waited for about 15 minutes or so, but the bus never came. We crossed the street going north to try the other bus stop.

At this block the place is cleaner and business is brisk. There is a cafe with outdoor dining. Right across the cafe a building is being renovated, a developer bought it for a paltry $100,000.00 in 1988. It was built in the 1930's. This is the old bank district, the area that is now being revitalized.

No bus still. The route must have been changed. At this point we were already tired and decided to take the bus that goes back to the Union Station.

We crossed the street...again...heading west toward those two buildings (above). That was about 4 or 5 city blocks.

When I took the picture above, a guy offered himself for a model, but my husband readily said, "No." The guy, about late 30s, wearing a leather vest, leather gloves with finger tips cut off, giggled and walked on. Ha! Take his picture and then he would charge me a fee for that. I'm not that gullible.

We passed this square across the street. Little did we know that there is a subway station down under that leads to the station where we were headed. Ah, we are not city slickers. We are suburbanites...we didn't know where we were heading. Mga tanga sa siudad.

We continued walking, this time uphill. Gasp...hingal...hingal...whew... Finally, we got to the bus stop and the bus came in a few minutes. We hopped on, and in a few the Union Station is right there. We can rest our tired souls before our train pulls in...then we board and we're home....

Downtown L. A. revisited

2009-07-21T23:30:00.000-07:00

My husband and I like watching California's Gold TV show which is hosted by Huell Howser. In one of his recent shows he visited Clifton's Cafeteria in downtown Los Angeles. The place looked interesting and we thought of taking a visit to the place. Downtown LA was my stumping ground many years ago when I lived a few blocks from it. Everyone within a short bus ride would go there to shop. May Company and Sears have their stores there. My former landlady worked at May Co. until she retired. May Co. is now Macy's.

I now live with my husband about 40 miles from the heart of Los Angeles. Embarking on a mini-adventure would also let us take a peek at the old place. We decided on a week day on the second Thursday of this month. We took the most convenient way to travel there nowadays -- the Metrolink (train), then a bus that goes around the city.

Enlarge images by clicking.

We were on the landing level--right at the top of the first steps--as the upper deck was already full. At this level there were only a few seats, about 18. We sat across a family headed to one of the towns before it reached downtown. In 50 minutes the train pulled in at the Union Station, it's final destination.

We boarded a bus, and we found the place in no time at all.

The sign at the window before the entrance.

The steps leading to the second floor balcony.

A moose head at the second floor railing.

Another stairs leading to the second floor dining room.

A stuffed deer right above a water fall.

The view from the second floor looking down.

A cabin with a small water fall beneath.

Clifton's was built in the 1930s and the forest theme is still the same to this day. The interior was kind of dark because of the woodsy decor.

We had lunch there and I had roast beef and mashed potato with gravy and green beans. My husband had fried chicken wings and some kind of veggies. The food was okay. After lunch we stepped out to the sidewalk and planned our next stop. Then we turned to our right and walked northward. And we walked, and walked...and walked...and walked...and w...a...l...k...e...d...

A visit to The Gipper.

2009-06-27T00:20:00.000-07:00

Two Fridays ago, my husband and I drove up to Simi Valley (California), about 30 or so miles from my house to pay a visit to The Gipper.* When we got there he, Ronald Reagan, was waiting for us and all visitors, at the main entrance of the Reagan Presidential Library and Museum. He was standing tall with a wide grin on his face. I touched him. He was cold as all statues are.

Inscription at the foot of the statue.
Click images to enlarge.

We paid our entrance and got inside the museum. It was filled with memorabilia. There were pictures of him when he was a child; when he was in the service in World War II; when he was a young actor; when he was president of the SAG (Screen Actors Guild); and when he was governor of California. Pictures of him with his wife Nancy and their children; with world leaders; with people of note and others.

The original car, a mustang convertible, he used during his campaign as governor of California.

The limousine, a 1984 Cadillac, was state of the art built exclusively for the president.

The helicopter...The Marine One.

Young visitors come as well to visit and learn about the past president. Here they are guided around by a docent who explains everything to them. Just above this floor is...

...The Air Force One.

Visitors are allowed to take a walk through this airplane. They, however, are prohibited from taking pictures of the interior. The quarters inside the plane was somewhat cramped, it being a 707 plane. Nowadays a 747 jumbo jet is used. The plane becomes Air Force One once the president sets foot on it. If it is used by others, not the president, it is not Air Force One. (Two maybe, or three, depending on the rank of the user...maybe. LOL)

There is not enough room for me to get the whole plane in one shot. I have to splice three shots together.

Information and technical details.

The floor plan.
The seal.

In the garden, right behind the library is this piece of the Berlin Wall.

About the wall...

...and the garden with the view. It was said during the president's memorial service that he loved the view on this place; that on a clear day the Pacific Ocean is visible here.

A few steps away was his final resting place...

"I know in my heart that man is good
that what is right will always eventually triumph
and there is purpose and worth to each and every life."

RONALD WILSON REAGAN
February 6, 1911 - June 5, 2004

...and we bid goodbye to The President.

*He played the role of George "The Gipper" Gipp in the film Knute Rockne, All American; from it, he acquired the lifelong nickname "the Gipper.

Octodad

2009-06-24T01:35:00.000-07:00

The Octopus Dad.
Click image to enlarge.

With 8 arms, he can take care of all his 8 babies at the same time. He could be over protective of his little ones. One false move and all 8 tentacles will be on ones neck squeezing the daylights out of the unfortunate one. So beware. Don't ever make fun of his 8 little octobabies.

This octopus is at an electronics store in Burbank, California. It's probably about 10' high and placed atop all the display shelves looking angrily at everyone below him.

Pssstt...I didn't see the octowife.

Summer is here!

2009-06-20T16:20:00.000-07:00

One day more and officially it's here. Though right now the sky has turned gloomy again and there's a little chill in the air. Truly our weather is unpredictable. Mother Nature is going nuts. LOL

Yesterday was the first day of my Summer art class. The sun was up and no clouds were hindering its blazing rays and everyone was dressed light. A handful of old students were gathered at the quad when I got there at 9:30 in the morning. A few new faces were sitting quietly around the concrete tables. The teacher came in a few minutes later. She apologized profusely for coming in late. Then we piled behind her as she unlocked the door and we all stepped inside the room as we gathered our painting gears.

The sky was so clear...except for a few scattered clouds.
The view from the school atop the hill.
(click image to enlarge)

That's how hot it was yesterday afternoon - 82F deg. or 30C deg.

During the last few weeks of the Spring semester, I did not attend the class. That was a point when I could not create anything interesting to paint. I have turned away from copying other people's creative work - photos or paintings. It's cheating. I'm cheating on myself. So there I was at a standstill and could not make myself to go to the class. My teacher in my Fall class had more interesting subjects for us to paint; but she left the class to teach art in high school. She is a cheery and hip kind of person. I like the way she taught us, her students.

Now I'm back in the class.

I didn't have any materials or subject to paint, so I painted something from memory. It was a scene I've seen when I was a kid. I was six years old then, I think. And the scene keeps popping in my head. I remember it was somewhere in the north, my mom's hometown in the Ilocos Region. How I got there, I have no recollection. I was there is all I can remember, and the scene had been embedded in my head after all these years. It was a nice, tranquil scenery up in the mountain.

I painted the scene in an 8" x 10" canvas. I need to work some more on it, maybe, in a couple of days. Hopefully, it would come out as close to what I see in my mind.

Portraits

2009-06-12T22:51:00.000-07:00

These drawings were from photographs sent to me by Ann. She made a special request for me to make portraits of them in pencil. The original photos are here in her blog.

........

What global warming?

2009-06-11T00:14:00.000-07:00

Dark clouds over the canyons.

What is going on? Here we are at the threshold of summer and we are having winter-like weather. I am back to wearing my sweaters and my jackets again to keep warm. At night I put on my flannel jammies to bed. I have put them away thinking I won't wear them again till fall comes. The clouds have been gray, and at times there have been scattered showers. The sun would peek for a while then hide behind the clouds again. It's been this way for three weeks now.

Summer will officially be here on the 21st of this month. So, now we put on hold going for a dip at the pool; going to the beach for a swim; and to the park for a picnic. Those new bikinis won't be worn till it gets warm. California weather is really crazy.

I wonder if Mother Nature is refuting what some were saying about global warming. Could it be she was just having hot flashes? I want summer here and now. I am tired of cold gloomy days. It is depressing. I am tired of wearing layers of clothes. I want to wear my bikini!!!! Ha ha ha ha...like I really could.

Is that you Don Quail?

2009-06-02T00:37:00.000-07:00

About a week ago I saw a strange looking bird meandering in my patio. It was my first time to see this kind of bird and I have wondered what it was. Then I suddenly remember to run upstairs to get my camera. I took aim and just then my battery ran out. Grrr...&@$#& I got back upstairs to get my spare battery and ran downstairs again. This time, however, the bird has wandered between the exterior wall of my house and a big pot of cactus plant. It was not a good shot. A few seconds later it took off in the backyard up the slope among the bushes.

Three days later, I heard a strange sound in the patio again. I walked to the sliding glass door to see what it was and there it is the strange looking bird. I startled it and it took off, but came back in a few minutes. I aimed carefully this time, hiding behind the wall so as not to scare it. I got a good shot of it.

It turned out that this is The California Valley Quail. It is the State Bird. More about the bird here.

The California Valley Quail
Click image to enlarge.

Here it is at the back door, looking inside. It's been lurking in the back most of the time. It is now a familiar sight in my backyard. My husband said it is our mascot. LOL

I don't have a clue as to its gender. I wonder if that thing on its head means its a male or a female. If it's a male, I'll call it Don, Don Quail. (Not to be confused with Dan Quayle. ) If it's a female I'll call it Donna. However, I prefer it to be a male.

Don has been looking inside the house for some 30 minutes or so. He could be watching me while I was watching TV. Or he could be looking at his image on the glass, thinking it's another quail. Or he could reading my blog. Yes, that's what he was doing. He's lurking, and when I'm not looking, he's reading my blog. LOL

Oh, well, I ramble and talk nonsense at times, if not all the time.

Just rambling along

2009-05-28T01:13:00.000-07:00

My so called art has gone that away; it's been there for quite a while now though. I am peeling my skin to something else, and I am now a rambling soul. Like a nut case, I would be rambling about nothing; talking to myself; and to the freeway. I would at times include some rough sketches here to go with my subject. My header, a painting from an old black and white photo of my old house where I lived from age 4 till I left the country, would be replaced by something else. At this point, I don't know what it would be.

The past few days nothing has happened, nothing exciting; mostly mundane, day to day routine. However, what's exciting to me might not be to other folks. Like for instance the seeds of some of my vegetable plants have started breaking out from the ground and that has gotten me excited. My husband has urged me to plant veggies in the backyard, and I did. He said that it would help control the weeds. Probably just his excuse, so he won't have to deal with them.

I have planted vegetables years before, but have not done it for quite sometime now. My bones have been attacked by lazinitis (my word for indolence). Indolence sounds too harsh for me. :-D Too harsh, or I'm in denial.

The economy is still in bad shape and I need all the help I can get. With a little tender loving care from me, I'll be able to supplement what little I have from my backyard. It is still days before I can harvest the fruits of my labor, but at this point I'm happy to see my plants get bigger and stronger.

Long beans, or sitaw in Tagalog.

Green beans. This is known in the Philippines as Baguio beans.

Lemon grass. A friend gave me this. I haven't used this in any of my cooking, but I'll try it this time.

Jalapeno pepper. This one took a long time to germinate. I thought it would never come out.
It's so tiny the weeds are bigger than it.

Kabocha squash.

Okra

Tomatoes

Sweet potatoes

Zucchini

Whoaaa! Lotus. Not mine. Nope...nope...nope. Would I be planting veggies if I own one of these? Nuts! I'd be driving this all over town the whole day. I saw it along one of our streets, and it happened to stop by our car and I took a shot at it. I rarely see one like this. If I'm not mistaken one of these would cost about $150,000? Aaacckkk! I'd owe my soul to the devil if I buy one like this.

In any event, my eggplants haven't germinated yet. And...and...mumble... ...mumble. I'd better go to bed, it's past 1 AM. I'm bored already.

Cactus Salad Anyone?

2009-05-14T05:06:00.000-07:00

I always see cactus leaves at Mexican grocery stores and at the Farmers' Market, and have wondered how it tastes. Some of these are sold with their tiny spines and nubs still on; some have been removed, and some have been diced already. And there are some prepared salads sold in small plastic containers.

The cactus or nopales at a grocery store.

On my visit to the Farmers' Market 2 weeks ago, I asked the Hispanic woman, who always sells oriental vegetables, about preparing cactus. She explained to me on how it is prepared, but did not give me details or recipe.

Cactus with the spines and nubs removed.

I thought I would give it a try and bought from her a dollar's worth which was 3 pieces and took it home. I found a recipe in the internet, which was simple and easy to make.

As per the woman's instruction I diced the cactus (I used one for now) after washing it, and boiled it for 10 minutes. Then I drained it. I chopped a medium sized tomato, some onions, a Jalapeno pepper and mixed all of them with the boiled cactus. I had it for dinner along with some rice, fried fish, and...I forgot the other dish. (Grrr...my senior moment.) It did not turn out the way I expected. It was blah...bland.

We have 2 Farmers' Market here: One on Sunday mornings at the college campus; and on Thursday afternoons at the Market Street on Old Town Newhall. I stopped by at the Market Street and found this Hispanic man selling some cactus. He told me that instead of boiling, he grills them. That way, he said, it doesn't lose the flavor and the food value of the vegetable. He makes sense.

Cactus salad

So that's what I did. Well, not exactly. Rather than fire-up my grill, I popped the 2 remaining cactus in my toaster-oven and broiled them. When done, I diced them. And this time, I chopped some cilantro (coriander), tossed it in with the chopped jalapeno pepper, tomatoes and onions; and I squeezed a bit of Mexican key lime. This time the cactus was crunchy, and the lime added flavor to it. It was uhm uhm good.

Manny Pacquiao...

2009-05-03T15:16:00.000-07:00

Manny Pacquiao

...is one of THE TIME Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World, in its May 11, 2009 issue. These include Sen. Edward Kennedy, Sec. of State Hillary Clinton, Saudi Minister Norah al-Faiz, French Pres. Nicolas Sarkozy, Ted Turner, Philanthropist, Actor-Philanthropist Brad Pitt, Musician John Legend, Capt. Richard Phillips, Physician and Sociologist Nicholas Christakis, and many more shakers and movers; scientists and thinkers; artists and entertainers; and heroes and icons.

Boxing is not the sport I watch, so I have no way of knowing his prowess in the ring. All I know is that Manny Pacquiao's name reverberates in the sports world. Now I leave it to the pros and quote here from Time Magazine.

Manny Pacquiao
By Lennox Lewis

Pound for pound, Manny Pacquiao is the best boxer in the world. But even more important than holding that distinction, Manny has connected with the people of his home country, the Philippines, to the point where he's almost like a god. The people have rallied behind him and feel like they're a part of him, because they can see his talent, his dedication, his grace and his class. The grip he holds over the Philippines is similar to Nelson Mandela's influence in South Africa. I can surely see Manny becoming the Philippine President one day.

In fact, he already ran for Congress in the Philippines but lost, in part because voters thought he could do more for the country as an inspirational champion boxer. I agree with the Filipino people. Manny, 30, already has a true global reach, and his influence will only expand as he gets better. Manny is from the Muhammad Ali school. He's a boxer, a puncher and a mover — a champion in four weight divisions. He doesn't stand there and take shots. He throws that wicked jab and is so quick to dodge trouble.

Boxing needs a guy like Manny. Too often, when something positive develops, the sport takes two steps backward; you never know where the black eye is going to come from. With Manny, you don't have to worry about that. He just loves the sport and knows he's carrying the hopes of his country in the ring.

Lewis, the former world heavyweight champion, is a boxing commentator for HBO Sports

Fast Fact: Pacquiao is the first athlete the Philippine Postal Corp. has honored with his own stamp.

A piano prodigy...

2009-04-29T17:13:00.000-07:00

...Ethan Bortnick. He's amazing.

They're back...

2009-04-25T09:30:00.000-07:00

The loss of the hummingbird chicks was heartbreaking. It was sad that they were devoured by a hungry blue jay, lurking in my backyard. However, a couple of days before the tragic end of the chicks, other birds have been building a nest nearby.

Click image to enlarge.

A few feet away this pigeon had scoured the area and had built a nest in this same basket they have occupied a few times before.

Yesterday I found this pigeon inside the basket, with some twigs for bedding.

And, lo and behold, I found two eggs. From what I remember they usually lay 2.

Last year I was about to throw away my old straw hat, then I though, maybe, I

should hang it in my pergola, for the birds to build their nest. And to my surprise, they did! I made sure it was away from the reach of cats or rats. Hopefully, the blue jay won't get to it.

I took a ladder to get to peer inside the hat and I found some baby finches. I don't know exactly how many they are, but I'm sure there are more than two. A few days more and they would be big enough to fly and be on their own. Right now they are being fed by both parents. I see them fly in to bring the food and take turns feeding the brood.

Here's crossing my fingers that they make it out of the nest and enjoy their adulthood, and come back next year.

My feathered friend

2009-04-20T23:15:00.000-07:00

This hummingbird started refurbishing the old nest on this shell parol before spring officially began. The old nest had been battered by the elements and it needed patching up and retrofitting. So, when it was ready, little hummingbird sat in it and laid a couple of eggs. It sat there for about 2 weeks until the eggs hatched. I could see what was going on every time I'm in the kitchen, as the nest is right there smack in front of the window. Later on, she was feeding her little brood, flying out to find food and coming back to feed them, then sitting on them.

The mother feeding her chicks.

It was a delight to see this going on right before my eyes. And anytime I have a chance to take a picture, I drop whatever I was doing and grab my camera.

Yesterday morning I was in the kitchen watching her come and go, feeding her brood. Then after lunch as I was washing dishes I looked up and to my horror a big blue jay was right there on the parol. I screamed. The blue jay flew away. My husband hastily went outside to the patio to see if any damage had been done. I watched him, trying to read his face. Then he came in the kitchen and said, "They are gone, the blue jay ate them. I never thought those birds are predators."

Oh, no, not again. A year ago some predator did the same thing to this same nest. I felt so bad for the mother hummingbird. So sad.

Mother hummingbird came back and looked around then flew away. A few minutes later she came again; tried to land on the nest but couldn't, some parts of it came loose. It hovered for a while then flew away. She came back a few times more then finally realized that her brood are gone then flew away and never came back.

My husband and I were looking forward to the day the chicks are big enough to fly on their own. It is, however, not going to happen, not anymore.

One more time...

2009-04-17T23:42:00.000-07:00

Every TV channel has featured that audition, which has turned her into an instant star. Someone has dug up an old cd recorded in 1999, where she was one of the singers. And here she proves that she can really sing; that she's not a one-trick pony.

Go Susan Boyle!

It's fun out there...

2009-04-12T17:08:00.000-07:00

It was a very nice warm day out there. The sun was up, and no dark clouds hovering above. I, however, could not enjoy it; am confined to my bedroom feeling ill. All I could do was look out through the door, from my bed. It's not fun being sick.

The pilots are having fun, enjoying the beautiful day; making squiggles of contrails with their jet planes. What fun! Wish I could do that. That is, if I have the nerve to board a jet plane flying 600 miles per hour. It must be scary looking down with nothing below the feet except the earth way down 1,000's of feet. It is unlike being on board a jumbo jet where passengers are enclosed. There are walls, and a ceiling that make one feel more secure, like being in a house right on the ground. But, of course, when looking out the tiny window, one is reminded that the plane is above ground, up there thousands of feet high.

Now the pilots have made curly trails, that look like a loose crochet knot. They sure are having fun.

In the meantime, I lay in bed trying to pass the time away reading. And what happens when one reads a food magazine? One craves them, those mouth watering foods...

...like this lovely ham...

...and this delicious looking dessert.

Life sucks when one is ill. On the other hand, I'm still lucky to be able to eat whatever I wanted. My husband fried some fresh sardines. LOL And he grilled chicken thighs that I have marinated before getting bed ridden.

I stayed mostly upstairs as it's warmer up here. From time to time, I would sneak in that room where my pc is. But when I start to get cold again, being attacked by whatever bug bit me, I crawl back in bed. I wish this bug would get tired of me and leave me alone. I wish it would get tired of my smell, since I haven't bathed for the last few days. What if I gas it? It might leave, or might not. It's known that yucky things like yucky smell.

I'll miss the fun at the Easter Picnic at the park. Oh, well. I'm getting a little better now; have spent a longer time here on my pc. And, there will be another day...

Happy Easter, all!

Redondo Beach once again

2009-03-31T23:39:00.000-07:00

The Getty Museum on the hill.
Click image to enlarge

We headed down south once more hitting the Freeway 405; and we passed the Getty Museum which was sitting atop a hill, making a commanding view of most of the valley below it. I remember once when I went there with a couple of friends from New York. The painting I remember most during that visit was that of Van Gogh's Irises. There, of course, are other paintings and sculptures done by the masters.

Before heading to Redondo Beach, we swung by a computer show in Manhattan Beach. This show is a must for my husband, him being a computer fanatic. It's held on the last Saturday of each month, and March 28th was the date. Just a couple of miles away is Redondo Beach where we usually have lunch.

We had for lunch our usual fill of a Korean hot and spicy soup at a restaurant on the pier. Then we took a leisurely walk. There were the usual people fishing, strolling, kissing, sunning and whatever.

Down the ramp to the marina we spotted this lone young mallard floating by itself. The first time I've seen one on this water.

On one of the boats, this man had a big container of catch. He was dumping them in a pail hanging in the water to keep the fish alive and fresh.

A spider crab at the fish store. Tastes like crab, not spider; though, I have not eaten a spider, yet.

Down at the boardwalk I bought ice-cream at the parlor. We sat right by the walk, licking our dessert when this young boy started having a tantrum.

He laid on the ground demanding ice-cream from his mother.

He sat up still whining. His mother tried to coax him out of there...

...but no deal. He stood...er...sat his ground.

He moved away from the entrance...

...then stood still whining.

Finally, mother couldn't wait, and she took him away.

The show is over. We decided to head home.

Follow...

2009-03-25T15:10:00.000-07:00

.....the......

.....d o t s....

..............

Journey back home

2009-03-21T01:28:00.000-07:00

Someone sent me the link to this video and I got so emotional listening to the song, and viewing the sights of Manila and its surrounding cities. These places were my old stumping ground and they will always have a soft spot in my heart. There were a lot of fond memories, and some sad ones, that I've spent there. Although, I've been away for a long time, and the landscape has changed a lot, I still feel a lump in my throat every time I see a picture of the old country.

Perhaps others who spent some time back home feel the same way as I do. The video here was put together by lancerpntgrd; and he had given me permission to post it. The music is by the band Journey who had a concert back there in March with our very own Arnel Pineda.

I'm so homesick...

I got myself...

2009-03-11T23:58:00.000-07:00

...a freebie.
Click
right
here.

Photo tag...tag...tag

2009-03-10T01:09:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by Nona, muy bonita. LOL This one is easy. The rules are: pluck the sixth picture from your photo file and post in your blog. And then tag as many as you want. That's it. As for me, I'll toss it and whoever wants to catch and do it, may do so.

Here’s mine.

I have 8 photo files. Each of which contains a certain kind of photo, so it would be easy for me to look for a picture. The one above was from the Gallery, the first file.

That is an image of a yellow Canna Lilly. I bought that plant about 3 years ago. The vendor who sold it to me didn't know the name and told me the color of the flower was white. I stumbled on a plant just like this one at a nursery, and that's how I got to know its name. And the flower came out to be yellow. Yey...I like it more than a white one. It, however, took a long time to bloom.

There it is Nona. I'm done with the tag.

Thanks, but no thanks!

2009-03-04T00:49:00.000-08:00

I have some interesting emails in my spam box. They came from out of the country; and some are, supposedly, Asians as indicated by their names. They have very tempting propositions, which would make me a very wealthy person, if I snatch their baits. Here below is one of those emails:

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Dearest Friend,

My name is Mrs. Rosie Chook, I am married to (Eng Mr.Pee Chook) from United Kingdom (U.K) who has an appointment in Tokyo, Japan as the chief Managing director to(ABC Uzuki Association Tokyo-Japan) under Engineering project/contract awarding section.

My husband died as a result of brief illness called heart attack, while he was coming back from (ASA) new location area on project inspection on Saturday 10th December 2006.

Before his death as a result of our joint account venture we have $7.3 million (US) dollars in our fixed deposit account.

Dear one I was brought up as an orphan and was married to my late husband for twenty years without a child and am of age, I am 68 years now and am suffering from kidney infection and a long time cancer of the lungs, which has partially affected my brain, and from all indication my condition is really deteriorating. According to my doctors, my health is very poor because of the cancer ailment, I can not stay to live up three months ahead, and I am having serious problem with my husband's family members.

I am not afraid of death hence I know where I am going. I know that I am going to be in the bosom of the Lord. Exodus 14 VS 14 says that the lord will fight my course and I shall hold my peace. Therefore I need a God fearing person who will assure me that he/she will use this fund to help the Motherless babies, Orphanage, Charity organization and less privileged once, and using for word of God.

I took this decision because I don't have any child that will inherit this money. As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the contact of the Bank.

I want you to always pray for me because I don't have many days to live.

Thanks
Yours in the lord Mrs. Rosie Chook.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

She's not a friend. I have never met her; never interacted with her before - not in person, not through emails nor through message boards. Why would she ask me for help? Why would she trust me? That's a lot of money - $7.3 M - to give to a total stranger. I assumed that's what she wanted.

Now if I get that money, what would I do with it? Would I give it to charity? Keep it? MY GOODNESS it is so much. I could probably keep some...or most...of it to myself. What would I do with it? Gosh...ngatog na ang tumbong ko sa dami. Di na ako mapakali niyan. (My derriere would be shaking with all that money. I wouldn't be able to keep still.) Okay, relax! Here's what I would do, if ever:

I would build myself a big house. Not a mansion, just one big house for me and my family. A mansion would be too overwhelming for me. Buy a fancy car - hmmm...maybe a Rolls Royce, to replace my old rusty Ford Escort. Then I can brag that all I do is drive around in my Rolls. I'll hire a live-in housekeeper, so I won't have to do all the chores at home. I'll have more time to myself and paint all day...my nails, that is. Oh, wait, I'll summon a manicurist to do that for me. I forgot I'm already loaded (with money). My relatives will multiply. Some I've never known nor seen will come out of the woodwork and claim to be related to me. All of them will be forming a line at my door. I'll share some with them. Why not? Baka isumpa nila ako. (They might curse me.) I'll go on a tour twice or thrice a year; visit my friends out there. I'll buy a yatch; build a vacation house in Baguio. Sus, bagyo na ang panaginip ko. (Big dreams with a vengeance, just like a hurricane.)

But, wait! Hold on! I am not going to fall prey to this scam. I know it's a lot of money, but in the end I will lose whatever little money I have in the bank. I am not a rich person. No! I have very little means.

Her bank contact could be anybody. For all I know, it could be herself, not a bank official. And when the money is to be transferred to me, she or the bank will need my account number. Once I give it...wham! they got me. Yeah, they will get me, if I am stupid enough to fall for this scam. I don't think so. I may not be the smartest person around, but I'm not a sucker. Nope, I wouldn't let Ms. Chook go to the bank laughing. I will instead forward her email to the proper authorities, and let them deal with her...or him.

So there! :-p

Walk don't run...

2009-02-17T00:35:00.000-08:00

To the other side.

Click here to view

The amateur show.

;-)

Brrrr...it's freezing

2009-02-13T06:10:00.000-08:00

It rained last Sunday night, and, brrr, it was freezing. I was tired from walking that day and I slept like a log.

Next morning I woke up rather late, but refreshed. I went down to the kitchen and had breakfast; then back upstairs to make my rumpled bed. I walked in the bedroom and the curtains were already pulled to let the sun in. I looked out to see if there's more rain. There was none, but the top of the hill beyond was covered with snow. I gasped, "Whoooaaa!"

"Come, come," I said excitedly to my husband as I strutted to the room next to the bedroom where he was. "There's snow out there!" I was like a kid seeing snow for the first time. He came in big strides and with a glow in his face looked out beyond to the snow covered hilltop. "Oh, wow. Take pictures of it," he murmured.

Click image to enlarge.

Late last year there was fire right on that hill and beyond. It was a scary sight. All through that night, I kept getting up to see if the fire would come down from the hill. It did not. The firefighters were keeping watch and were ready to douse it, if it got out of control.

This was not the first time we had snow here in our town. Sometime back in the late 80's we had a flurry of the white stuff right here in our town. My backyard, front yard and all over our neighborhood was covered with snow. It didn't last long, though. By noon time it had melted. The neighborhood kids had fun. School was closed due to snow. Rarely does this happen and it was the news of the day. I called the office to let them know I couldn't come to work. Vehicles here are not equipped with snow tires and it's dangerous driving in slick roads.

This time, however, we didn't have a lot. Mother Nature gave us a sprinkling of it on the hill, but it was a sight to behold.

Click image to enlarge.
The shot above was taken a little before noon time. Some of the snow had melted by then, but it was still a beautiful scene.

*********************************************

And the award goes to ME...again!

2009-02-08T01:18:00.000-08:00

This award was tossed to me by Ghee, the lovely. Thank you so much. Although my blog is crappy as can be, you and all my blog friends are very supportive. You all come and read my drivel; my nonsense which others can't stand. They read and leave in a huff. But...but...they leave their trail...their droppings. How do I know? Herlock Sholmes, my private eye, told me. Just kidding folks. Let's not be too serious. Let's laugh, sing, eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we d - i - e.

That said, let me show off the awardz shown here below:

Now the rules:

List 5 addictions and pass this tag to your friends.

Of course, I am addicted to blogging! Why would I be here in the first place? I would be napping, snacking or day dreaming, if I'm not. I have made friends from all over the world. Good people, different races, tall and short, men and women...and I like them all. Pautang nga sa inyo. (Can you loan me some money? It's a joke, please don't take it seriously.)

I am addicted to playing computer games. This is a good way to exercise my brain cells. Inactive brain cells will deteriorate in time and that will result in amnesia, fever, blurred vision, hearing impairment, chocolate cravings, lechon cravings, ice-cream cravings, arthritis and so forth. This is another one of those drivels, if you don't know, yet. But it's true I'm a game addict. If I'm out there, away from my computer, I have my cellphone to play with...it has games in it. Hooray for cellphones.

This is not an addiction, it's more of a hobby. I like collecting bird houses and mini-houses. I find them cute. I have quite a collection and they come in different sizes, shapes, and color. Hmm...it doesn't sound right for this category. Eh, just a fill in.

Addiction number 4. Hmmm...I guess, I would have to say sleeping. But this one doesn't sound like an addiction. It should be called a hobby.

I don't seem to have any for number 5. I must be a good kid not to have a lot of addictions. Cigarette, tobacco, alcohol...not one of these. Nada, wala na, awanen and no more. The end.

Now, I'll toss this into cyberspace and whoever wants to catch it, do so at your own risk. LOL

The Birds

2009-01-25T23:47:00.000-08:00

The spring-like temperature was good while it lasted. It rained Wednesday night and when I awoke the next morning the ground was wet. There was a gray pall over my town that day. The sun peeked for a while during the morning hours and most of the afternoon it was behind the clouds. The rains came intermittently most of the day. It was good for the plants. Weeds? No! Well, maybe in the hills beyond.

The temperature dipped to the low 60's. I stayed indoors and worked on some of my sketches in my study room. I was so engrossed in it when I heard loud harsh "caw, caw, caw." It was a flock of crows cawing. They landed on my neighbor's backyard tree. These birds give me the shivers. I don't know what it is about them, but that is how I feel when I see them hovering about. They specially like to roost in groups and make a lot of noise.

The crows on my neighbor's tree.
(click image to enlarge)

I padded to the front bedroom, the master bedroom, and there I saw another flock right on my tree which was so close to my house. They scampered off as soon as they saw me spying on them. Then they landed on a birch tree across the street. There were about 20 of them. Eeewww! They reminded me of that movie The Birds, with Suzanne Pleshette. That must be why they give me the creeps.

The flock across the street.

After a little while they were gone. Good. I'd rather have the smaller birds around, the sparrows, pigeons, and hummingbirds. It won't be long though, and I'd see them in my backyard. In the meantime, I'd have to put up with these blackbirds.

Winter, or Spring?

2009-01-16T23:33:00.000-08:00

While some parts of the nation are buried in snow, we here in Southern California are enjoying a warm and sunny weather. This is the crazy weather California is known for.

I dressed light today. I wore my big grey T-shirt and my maroon sweat pants and a pair of old sandals. I drove down the hill to the park to see what folks were up to.

(click images to enlarge)

There were a handful of people enjoying the nice spring-like temperature.

Ah! What a view! Dem thar hills have no snow. No need to bundle up tonight.

Hello down there! Down there is our postage stamp downtown. A little community. It is really a small part of a city, but we call it our downtown.

I got "down there" and there was the time.

And look at that temperature! Perfect day to wear a bikini. LOL Like I'm going to dare wear one. I don't even own a one-piece bathing suit. I did have a couple a long time ago, but...never mind.

Some people sat at an outdoor coffee shop to have a snack and chat.

A lady had done some shopping early in the day.

At a nearby junior high the girls' soccer team were on practice. At this time school was already out for the day.

A young man was taking his dog for a walk.

It was a little bit windy, and Old Glory was flying high. The blue sky as background was perfect. Truly a nice day.

She purred her last.

2009-01-12T16:36:00.000-08:00

A quick sketch in pencil on paper.

Miss Eartha Kitt, a legendary singer had passed on Dec. 25, 2008. She left grieving fans from all over the world. Miss Kitt performed on Broadway, starred in movies, tv, and performed in night clubs as well. Her most memorable performance on tv was as Catwoman in the Batman series.

One of her most popular songs that I remember was C'est si bon. I, however, was surprised to hear her sing the Tagalog song Waray Waray. This was originally sang in Tagalog by the late Nida Blanca.

I love listening to her sing this song. It suited her voice and her style; it seemed it was composed for her alone. And one thing I noticed, her pronunciations of the Tagalog words were perfect.

The world will miss Eartha Kitt.

More about Ms. Kitt here and here.

Redondo Beach Revisited

2009-01-09T01:33:00.000-08:00

On the last Saturday of the year 2008, my husband and I went to visit Redondo Beach. We had lunch at a restaurant on the boardwalk, then we took a leisurely walk up the pier.

(click images to enlarge)

It was a nice warm day, perfect for strolling, watching, reading, feeding the birds and whatever.

Walking up the ramp near the boat slips we spotted a seabird on its back trying so hard to get back upright. Its head was in the water and it struggled so hard to keep it up for a breath of air, while flailing its legs. Its wing or wings must have been broken. We were rooting for the bird. "Come on bird, come on. Get up. Go...go." But sadly, it lost the battle with the water, and...it died. We could do nothing but watch the little creature drown. The public is prohibited from going in the water on that side as there are big jagged rocks surrounding the railing.

A few yards away was this flock floating, basking in the sun.

Here another seabird lurking, looking for its meal. A small school of fish can be seen at 11:00 o'clock (upper left hand side).

Then the seabird dove in the water, and chased its meal.

Machine, bird and man. That's a sheriff's helicopter flying on a mission somewhere on the beach, where there was trouble. There were 4 of them. Bird was bird watching, looking for lovely chicks. Man ate too much.

A flock of pelicans on a restaurant's roof top.

These pelicans came down from the rooftop to wait for hand outs from a fisherman. Later on a beach police officer came over to stop the fisherman from feeding the birds. He didn't see the fisherman in the act, but his presence was enough to stop the violator.

A fish got lodged in this pelican's pouch. It was in the wrong angle and the pelican could not swallow it. After a lot of twisting, turning and shaking, it finally got it right and swallowed the fish.

And there were those people who could not care less as long as they have each other. Uuuuyyy, kissie...kissie.

On to more fishing for the day's meal.

They bring everything except the kitchen sink. I saw one bring a stove, mind you. Sink is provided for cleaning fish.

A boxful of mackerels, the catch of the day.

Finally, we headed home. And on the freeway we saw Will Smith. Hmmm...did he wink at me?

Welcome 2009!

2009-01-01T23:09:00.000-08:00

I had planned this morning to wake up early and take a picture of the first sunrise of the year. I, however, overslept...as usual. I'm practicing my motto of: Late to bed, late to rise. LOL Well, as I said before, I'm not a morning person.

When I got out of bed, the sun was no longer peeking behind the hills and the trees. It was way up high already, glaring at me. I had breakfast at a little before 9:00 AM.

(click photo to enlarge)

My first meal of the new year was a little bit heavy. I had an egg which was a little bit overdone; 2 mini bagels; 3 pieces of turkey bacon and a small chunk of gouda cheese; and coffee with cream.

I turned on the TV. The Rose Parade was already well underway. I watched some of it, and got some clips. Bear with the quality of the pictures, I am not a professional photographer. (Kuha lang ito sa tv habang nagpaparada sila...)

(Click images to enlarge)

Everything on the floats were made of flowers, seeds, leaves, stalks and other parts of plants. Nothing was man-made except the float platforms, gadgetry and mechanisms.

The Rose Parade is held each year on the New Year's day. Read more and see more photos here.

Yawn...I'm off to bed...again.

Farewell 2008!

2008-12-31T16:50:00.000-08:00

This was the last morning of the year 2008. It was a nice warm day, and the jet pilots were scribbling in the sky with their contrails. It must be their own way of sending off the last day of the year.

The sunset...Farewell 2008!

Dem Hills

2008-12-21T02:33:00.000-08:00

Snow covered mountain top.
(click image to enlarge)

Thar's snow in dem hills.

Last night I was freezin'

Cold was me toes and heels.

With blanket of woolen

From me head to me ankles

Covered meself to keep from shakin' .

Temp'ature in the forty

Made snow so white and purtty.

Up there it's white, oh so white...Christmas.

Merry Christmas to all!

Maligayang Pasko sa inyong lahat!

The Carolers

2008-12-16T01:13:00.000-08:00

The Carolers

(click image to enlarge)

It was Saturday, the 13th. I arrived, with my husband, at my cousin's place half an hour early. In fact, we were there an hour and a half early. The carolers I was told were to be there at 3:00 PM; they, however, called to let the hosts know that they will be there at 4:00 PM. To pass the time away, I helped my cousin's wife set up the buffet. She works full time as a nurse, and did not have the time to prepare all the food. To make it easy for her she ordered most of them, and they were all in styro containers. I put them in platters, bowls and trays. We shoved some in the oven to keep them warm while we waited for the group to arrive.

A little past 4:00 PM they came in droves. Some were lost on the way to her house and they were really late. We had dinner before the group began their caroling concert. As usual we had lumpia, pansit, steamed shrimps (which the hostess cooked), roast beef (cooked by her niece), puto, fruit salad, cake (2 kinds), ham, and more. It was a feast. When every one had their fill, the performers lined up in the living room and sang their songs. They had a short skit before their last song. It was a good performance by all of the members - young and old alike.

There was one song that almost brought me to tears. I tried so hard to hold back my tears. "Silent Night" tugged at my heart; it brought me back home, back to the old country where Christmas was always felt wherever we were.

I remember the celebration of this Holiday back there...back in the Philippines. Preparations were made way ahead of time, some do it months ahead. Those, of course, are the people who are well prepared, well organized. Unlike me, I am a procrastinator, and I always do my Christmas shopping at the 11th hour. So I brave the crowd at the department stores; the traffic jams; the pickpockets; the din and cacophony of the big city. Better be prepared even at the last minute, otherwise, the nieces, nephews, and godchildren will be disappointed.

The day comes, right after the masses, they come in droves. The godchildren dressed in their Sunday's best to pay a visit to their godmothers and godfathers expecting a present from each of them. At that point the streets would be filled with these children, coming and going. It would be like a fiesta.

Then at the end of the day, all the wrapped presents have all been handed out and that's when I flop on a chair and say, "Whew, thank God it's all over."

Not really. It would not be over until after having Christmas dinner with all the members of my family: my mom, my brother, his brood of six children and his lovely wife. That's Christmas back home, and I missed that and I missed all of them...my family.

Tale of the fish and the bone.

2008-12-07T01:58:00.000-08:00

Since Thanksgiving day, we've been having turkey left over almost daily. We have had too much of it, so last Wednesday I thought I'd make sinigang of the salmon I have in the freezer. For a side dish I grilled a couple of chicken thighs.

After lunch, I got dressed and drove to the urgency care, about 8 or 9 miles from my house. I registered at the window and waited. About 5 minutes later, I was called in by a nurse. The nurse got my blood pressure, my pulse and my temperature. I was still alright...still breathing; alive with good vital signs. I was sent to the registration once more to pay and wait. About an hour I was called in by another nurse. She took my weight...eeekkkk....I gained 4 pounds. Then she led me to the examination room. This nurse asked me the same questions I have been asked at this same place, over and over again:

Do you smoke?
Do you drink alcohol?
What medications do you take?
Do you take any (illegal) drugs?

My replies were as follows:

No.
Wine, occasionally.
None.
Noooo! (If I did, would I say yes! Nuts.)

She entered all these in my database. They are all there and they have been there since I became a member of this HMO. Next time I go, they'll ask me the same questions.

She told me to wait for the doctor and she left the room. A little while later a young lady garbed in white with a stethoscope slung around her neck came in. With a smile she greeted me, then asked me to sit on the bed. She then asked me the same questions the nurse asked me. I told her nicely that the nurse asked me those questions ALREADY! (Galit na ako. LOL) She said, it was to make sure that any medication prescribed to me won't counteract with what I was taking. Okay, that makes sense. But then why not just check my database. Why keep asking meeeee? It must be easier for her to ask than log on in the computer.

She then asked me what I was there for. I told her everything, every little detail of the episode. She said she has to ask the doctor who specializes in that condition. She left the room and came back with an older woman, the doctor. Hmmm...so the younger one was not a doctor after all. Must be a nurse practitioner (RNP).

The doctor got a tongue depressor and I opened my mouth and said, aaahhh. With a light, she peeked in my throat, and said, "It's there alright."

She saw the salmon fish bone that got stuck in my throat. I tried to swallow some food to drag it down to no avail. I could feel it. It was hurting me when I turn my head down. During that time, I was reminded of Dennis Villegas and his traumatic experience with salmon fish bone lodged in his throat. Poor guy.

"En garde, Mari!"

"Fish bones are the most cooperative of all," the doctor said. At this point, I expected her to get an instrument and extricate the darn thing. She did not.

"We will give you something to drink to ease the pain. The acid in your throat will break down the bone. No solid foods for a while," she said.

They both left the room. The younger one, a Filipina, came back with a styro cup and handed it to me to drink. It was a concoction of mylanta, lycopane and belladona; it was thick and green in color. It tasted minty, and it clung to my throat. It felt good.

Then she let me go. Happily I waved good-bye to the doctor and to the RNP.

"Are you not embarrassed to say you got fish bone in your throat?" my husband asked me. "Why should I be? It happens to other people. Take for instance that actress Elizabeth Taylor. She had chicken bone in her throat. And Dennis." :-D

There were scribbles then...

2008-11-26T23:50:00.000-08:00

Contrails in the sky.
(click images to enlarge)

I didn't see any jets flying overhead during the firestorm. However, a few days after it was contained, they were up in the sky criss-crossing leaving their contrails behind. They were like little kids scrawling on a wall, having fun. It was then a warm sunny day.

Grey sky over my little downtown.

Last night, however, I could hear the rain pouring. It had come, our much needed rain of the year. We hardly have any this year and we welcome this precipitation. On the other hand, there is danger of mudslide on places ravaged by the fire, especially on the hillsides. Without any vegetation to hold the water the ground will likely slide downhill and drag with them homes.

Mist has covered the hills beyond.

When I woke up this morning, the ground was soaked by the downpour, and it was still raining. Mist has covered my little town and the hills beyond were not visible. The trees, grass, flowering plants and other vegetations were gloriously soaking in the precious water. Everything was washed down clean ...even my dusty old car parked in the driveway.

Later in the day the sun came out for a little while. These two black birds were perched atop these evergreen trees taking in the sun; waiting for the day to end as tomorrow will be a big event in every home.

To everyone...

Happy Thanksgiving!

*********************

Girl Friends!!!

2008-11-23T00:31:00.000-08:00

This was passed to me by Ev; and with it goes a poem about girl friends.

When I was little,
I used to believe in the concept of one best friend,
And then I started to become a woman.
And then I found out that if you allow your heart to open up,
God would show you the best in many friends.
One friend is needed when you're going through things with your man.
Another friend is needed when you're going through things with your mom.
Another will sit beside you in the bleachers as you delight in your children and their activities.
Another when you want to shop, share, heal, hurt, joke, or just be.
One friend will say, 'Let's cry together,'
Another, 'Let's fight together,'
Another, 'Let's walk away together.'

One friend will meet your spiritual need,
Another your shoe fetish,
Another your love for movies,
Another will be with you in your season of confusion,
Another will be your clarifier, Another the wind beneath your wings.
It may all be wrapped up in one woman, But for many, it's wrapped up in several...
One from 7th grade,
One from high school,
Several from the college years,
a couple from old jobs,
On some days your mother,
On some days your neighbor,
On others, your sisters,
And on some days, your daughters.
So whether they've been your friend for 20 minutes or 20 years,
AND ONLY IF YOU'D LIKE TO,
Pass this on to the women who has a place in your life/lives.....

I am passing this to my girl friends on my blog roll. I'm not twisting your arms ladies...only when you want to. ;-)

Typing test.

2008-11-23T00:30:00.000-08:00

209 points, so you achieved position 387991 of 1103062 on the ranking list

You type 268 characters per minute
You have 50 correct words and
you have 0 wrong words

50 words

Typing Test

I had fun with this test. On my first try I made 25 words per minute. The score above was my second try. Not bad.

Firestorm

2008-11-15T23:53:00.000-08:00

I have received emails from blogger friends from different parts of the globe inquiring about my situation here regarding the firestorm. The news has gone world wide as this wildfires have spread in 4 counties here in Southern California. As I watched the news on TV it seems I am seeing a war zone where there are fires in every other house in every block of an area. The winds at 75 miles per hour are fanning the fire, making it more difficult for the firefighters to battle this conflagration.

One of the fires is about 18 - 20 miles from my home, and situated almost the same place as last month. As I watched the TV news this morning, I see smoke coming from behind the hills. After lunch flames have jumped the ridge of the hill. It was spreading slowly, not as fast as in the other areas behind the hill. The freeways were closed to traffic earlier in the day. It was opened to commuters in the early evening.

We are keeping an eye on the fire tonight. Hopefully, the cooler temperature will help the firefighters contain it by tomorrow. Hundreds of homes have been razed to the ground. That is so sad. They have lost their homes and possessions they have accumulated over the years. Still at this time, some unscrupulous people took advantage of the situation and looted some of the homes that were vacated by the homeowners. Fortunately, they were apprehended and detained by the police officers.

The blaze at the top of the hill.

I would like to thank those who emailed expressing their concern for my safety, and my family's. As of now we are intact, but keeping an eye on the hill, hoping it will not come this way. We are praying it will be contained soon.

My Little House

2008-11-12T18:18:00.000-08:00

I was at the flea market yesterday morning with my friend, Junko. I walked around the place looking for something interesting, something that would catch my fancy. There were a lot of used and some unused items. Then I found something I liked, but the vendor was asking a very steep price - $1.00. I turned to walk away. Then I said, "How about fifty cents?"

"You got it. I don't want to take it back home with me," he said. I gave him my fifty cents and picked up my little house. Then as I walked away, he said to me, "You know me. Right?"

"Yup," I said, as I stashed my purchase in my sack.

I find this little thing cute and I couldn't resist it. I have quite a collection already, and this one is unique as its top flips open.

I wish

2008-11-02T01:31:00.000-07:00

A friend sent me an email, and in it was a picture of her friend she was introducing to our string. Down at the bottom of the email was this phrase that cracked me up:

Remember, you reap what you sow. What you put into the lives of others comes back into your own. 'Handle every stressful situation like a dog. If you cannot eat it or play with it, pee on it and walk away.'

I wish I could do that, but there would always be a nagging thought that I would be caught. I would stay away from whatever that would be bothering me. If I couldn't, I deal with it head on.

Now where are those bills that I'm supposed to write a check for? I better do that right now and get it over with. I can't pee on those people.

Can you read me?

2008-10-31T00:40:00.000-07:00

Enetalemry, t wre heIhat's am back.

I enerolld at an oil ptinaing cassl for altdus this flal at the counimmty clegole in my city. My iructnstor is a lyad who not very lgon ago gruaadted from an art sochol. Her aoapprch to tehinacg is like waht I have known in sochol borefe. Like in my freanehd dwirang cslas in aitecrchture we steartd from the elentaemry - pcenil drawing of simple objects. With my 3B lade in my lead hdoler (meanichcal pnecil) I dwre the vase with a little bit of arehenppsion. It's enbe years ago since I did a dinrawg of this kind with my theacer lonokig from hibend me. I got the sphae, sdhaes, shoadws and peectrspive right, eexcpt that I heav been ginog into orem dietals, like ptinutg in some of the retioflecns. The tcheaer said that the rectifleon won't be terhe if I csloe one eye. I did, and voila! trhee's no rctiefleon. The sthor time I veha been in this cslas I have leneard a lot aealrdy.

I had wtaned so much to laren how to pinat in ilo, and so back in mid-90s I lenroled at an adlut sclas, an nextsione of the High Scholo Distirct...

For original text click here

Halloween Already?

2008-10-23T02:01:00.000-07:00

Pastel on 10' x 7' black cloth

This is an old pastel drawing I did for Halloween about 3 years ago. I got the idea of using pastel after I had participated in the Street Art Festival some years ago. Not being able to use my driveway for the painting, I dug up the black bed sheet from my linen closet and drew the scene. What to draw would not come to me until the 11th hour (call it cramming). Working on it off and on, it would take me about 3 days to finish it. When I have finalized the drawing, I would spray it with hairspray to keep it from coming off, or to keep it from getting smudged. It would take about 2 cans of hairspray. Then I would tack it on the wall outside by my front door.

The first one I did was of a different scenery. This one above was my 3rd. The artwork would stay for a day more after Halloween. Then I take it off and toss it in my washing machine. Put some detergent, turn the water on and away it goes...my work down the drain.

Oh, well, I had fun doing it.

Blue skies

2008-10-19T01:32:00.000-07:00

Except for a few scattered clouds, it was a clear day today. The smoke that billowed beyond the hill vanished a few hours after it appeared. I breathe a sigh of relief when it was clear to me that the fire was finally contained. The one on the other side of the valley was contained after 2 days. Thanks to the hard work of the fire fighters, they did their best to save residents and their homes. A few structures were razed to the ground, though.

Having said that, I'd like to thank the following who expressed their concerns and prayed for my safety and my family's, as well.

Vicki, nakakatakot nga.
Connie, it's scary.
Photo Cache, Angel Island, too?
Dennis Villegas, yes, we're that close.
Ann, yes, it's been a year this month.
Nona, sana nga di na maulit.
Nance, my friend, we're okay.
Lady Cess, we were spared.
Nini, my friend, we're okay. Thanks for the special visit.
Blogger friends I might have missed.
Friends who emailed.

We are still on fire red alert. The tinder dry brush could ignite instantaneously with a flick of a cigarette butt. Hopefully, before another fire flares up, this season will be over.

Wildfire season once again

2008-10-14T04:15:00.000-07:00

As I was having breakfast yesterday morning, a report of a fire came on TV. I went upstairs and looked out from my balcony and this is what I saw, smoke coming from over the hill. It scared me. That fire could easily come this way, as there was gusty wind fanning it. I would guess that it was about 20 miles from my place.

It was the same month last year when there was wildfire all over Southern California. One came so close, about half a block away from my home, that we packed some of our belongings. My neighbors did the same. We all watched as the fire started to spread on the hill. Luckily a helicopter came and doused it, and that saved our homes. But there were some unfortunate ones whose homes were razed to the ground. (Click here for story.)

There were other fires blazing yesterday. This one pictured above was about 20 to 23 miles from my home. Some homes were burned to the ground. Residents had to evacuate, and as of last night the fire was still raging. There were more than 1000 fire crew battling the conflagration.

These fires could jump from one area to the other as the wind flies embers and it could easily ignite dry brush. We get very little rain here so that our hills turn brown during summer; turning brush tinder dry. Some fires are started by careless campers; others are ignited by sparks from cars; by children playing with matches; and some by arsonists.

Having experienced a close call last year makes me jittery when I see smoke billowing from the distance.

YouTube and my burrito

2008-10-13T00:15:00.000-07:00

My post is on YouTube. No, I'm not singing. I could not sing; and could not carry a tune. I love to listen to music; to dance to music, and that's about it. What is on YouTube is an excerpt of my post on Burrito and Goose Bumps. It turned out Jobernz stumbled upon it, lifted an excerpt and posted it on YouTube. He linked my blog to his post and in returned some of his viewers visit my blog. Whoa!!! Great.

Thanks, Jobernz.

Eyes were made for seeing...

2008-10-07T00:27:00.000-07:00

...and beauty is its reason for being.

To view her and others, walk this way------here.

Or ...

...click here.

And the award goes to...

2008-10-05T00:35:00.000-07:00

...me.

This award was virtually handed to me by one of my best net and blogger buddies. She's none other than Nance. She and I have been friends online for more than a decade almost, and we have met in person already. We have a lot in common. We both like to paint...our lips and fingernails. We write gobbledygooks; we blog; laugh, eat, drink and are married...to our own dudes.

Thanks, dudette.

Now, who to hand this to? To all my blogger friends. Come and get it!!!!

Burrito and Goose Bumps

2008-09-30T00:50:00.000-07:00

On our way back home from a trip down south, my husband and I decided to have a quick lunch before heading for the Street Art Festival. The nearest one on our way was Taco Bell. There I ordered a combo of burrito, nacho with cheese, and soda. My husband had a burito supreme, taco and soda. It was early afternoon, but the heat was already beating hard in the valley. The air conditioned fast food restaurant was a relief for our tired souls.

I was so hungry I finished this burrito in a few seconds.

As I was finishing my lunch, music was coming from the ceiling above the restaurant. One song just ended, and a new one was just beginning with a solo guitar introduction. It was that familiar notes played by Neal Schon, the guitar wizard of the Journey. I stopped to listen, held my hand up to silence my husband from his blabbering. Then came the voice of Arnel Pineda singing After All These Years. My goose bumps arose from their dormant state, running from my arm to my nape. It still seems unbelievable that his voice, this man plucked from Manila, would grace the air waves of Southern California. But there it is for the world to hear, Arnel Pineda, the cinderfella, singing his heart out.

He finished his song. And we talked how lucky he is; how his life has changed since then. Hopefully, he won't be like those young entertainers who were into drugs and alcohol. Maybe not as the older members of the Journey have grown older, perhaps wiser, and mellower. They are now sporting short hairdos.

We finished our lunch and headed to the Street Art Festival.

****************

Click here for the song After All These Years.

Misty morning

2008-09-19T23:55:00.000-07:00

Summer is coming to a close; it will be officially over on the 21st of this month. Autumn made a short visit last Friday morning reminding us that in a few days it will be here officially. It came in the form of a cool mist hovering below, covering the whole valley, creeping between trees and houses. Mist to me has a feeling of calmness, of tranquility. In the midst of it I could hear only the sound of the birds chirping, the rustling of leaves falling, the cracking of twigs as I step on them, and the soft gentle drop of a dew falling from a leaf.

Fall here in Southern California, is a sampling of the cold weather, intermittently interrupted by warm weather, and sometimes a heat wave; and it ends with a constant cool weather and then winter begins.

Today we were back to our usual summer warm weather. And it was a clear day ...we could see forever. Hmm...just like the song.

Kick 'em hard.

2008-09-15T01:00:00.000-07:00

Of course, it's Nona who gave me this award. She thinks I am a kick ass blogger. :-D Thanks Nona. You are a true friend.

I am to toss this to other kick ass bloggers. Those ones with creativity and originality; ones who are supportive of their blogger friends; ones who inspire and etc. and etc.

I am to choose 5 that I feel are “Kick Ass Bloggers.” I am to:

Let ‘em know via email, twitter or blog comments that they’ve received an award

Share the love and link back to both the person who awarded you and back to www.mammadawg.com. Pass it on! To get the code for the image you can go back to mamadawg.com - don’t forget to link up the person who nominated you for the Kick Ass Blogger Club.

I can do all of the above. The problem is if I pick 5 of the hundreds of them the rest will be after my neck. I don't want that to happen. I love all my blogger friends, and, of course, I want them to love me as well. So, instead of plucking 5 names, I'm not going to name any of them. It will be up to them to come and get it. I hope this is fare enough.

Grapes anyone?

2008-09-08T01:15:00.000-07:00

They are hanging over my pergola on my patio. There is so much of them I've given some to my friends, but there is still a lot more.

The birds are feasting on them, and some are falling on the ground. If we're not careful we step on them; crush them; and drag the sweet sticky juice inside the house. Which, of course, annoys me no end when my flip-flop sticks on my wood floor. Some people wouldn't even notice something got stuck on their shoes, and they would walk right in the house and leave residue on the floor I have to scrub them. More work for me. Grrrrrr!

I planted it many years ago, this Thompson grapevine. The fruits have to be harvested at the right time, when the color has turned yellowish green, that is when they are sweet. Last year they were the size of peas. This year they are a bit bigger than garbanzo beans. They seem to get bigger as the vine gets older. Perhaps, next year they would be much bigger, just like the commercial ones.

They are small now, but I am enjoying them; munching on them; sharing them with my friends; with the birds; and with the ants.

Tadaaah!

2008-08-30T22:30:00.000-07:00

Heeeeere's kangkong.

It's right on my patio in this big clay pot. It's so lush and healthy. This plant was from a stalk I trimmed of its leaves for my sinigang. I dug a small hole and pushed the stalk in this pot. There used to be a ficus benjamina plant here, apparently I over watered it and it went kaput. The ficus trunk is still intact right there, but it's now dry, lifeless. I have used this pot since, to put all my veggie trimmings, kind of a compost bin. It is now my kangkong pot. I'll see how much it will grow, if I will have enough for another sinigang. Har har har.

One thing good about this plant, it loves water. In fact, it thrives well on swamps, ponds, and any watery place. So, there is no fear of having it over watered. Perfect for me who kills my plants with love by over watering them.

*************************

Note:

Kangkong per Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

Ipomoea aquatica

Ipomoea aquatica is a semi-aquatic tropical plant grown as a leaf vegetable. Its precise natural distribution is unknown due to extensive cultivation, with the species found throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world.

Common names include water spinach, swamp cabbage, water convolvulus, water morning-glory, kangkung (Indonesian, Malay), kangkong (Tagalog), eng chai (Hokkian), tangkong (Cebuano), kang kung (Sinhalese), trawkoon ( Khmer: ត្រកូន), pak boong (in Thai: ผักบุ้ง) (Thai), rau muống (Vietnamese), kongxincai (Chinese: 空心菜; pinyin: kōngxīncài; literally "hollow heart vegetable"), home sum choy ( Hakka), and ong choy or tung choi (Cantonese 蕹菜, ngônkcôi; pinyin: wéngcài)., " ကန္စြန္း " (Ken-Zun) in Burmese.

Home Alone

2008-08-22T10:15:00.000-07:00

I was by myself last Saturday, and I felt I'm free to do anything that I wanted. I didn't have to cook lunch which would sometimes take an hour or so, then a half hour to wash dishes and clean up. So, there I was contemplating what to have for lunch. In my fridge are sorts of left overs. There was the quesadilla left over when I had lunch at a Mexican fast food restaurant; left over Pasta e Fagioli, an Italian dish I made the other night; and 2 pieces of moldy chicken that I don't know what dish it was. I decided on having the pasta dish. I warmed up some of it, and put some aside, in case someone looks for it. I was out of grated Parmesan cheese to sprinkle over it, so I got a stick of mozzarella cheese and sliced it into small pieces and tossed on top of my pasta.

This is the leftover I put aside in the fridge.
Click image to enlarge

When I was done eating, I still felt hungry. I opened a box of crackers, and munched 6 pieces of it.

Still I was not full. I thought I'd have a handful of potato chips.

I devoured it in a few seconds. It was salty...too salty. I needed something to get that salty taste off of my mouth. I opened my fridge, and found nothing there. Then I found ice cream in the freezer.

Eureka! This is perfect. Ice cream! I scooped about half a cup of it and put it in a small bowl. Hmmm....yum! I was about to finish it when I started feeling guilty. I've been eating all this junk, and now I felt guilty! Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! I dumped the rest in the sink, and I drank a glass of water.

***************

I love this pasta dish. I copied it from a magazine some years ago. It's very filling; always a welcome dish at home, especially when we get tired of the usual pinakbet, adobo or sinigang.

Pasta e Fagioli

Ingredients:

1 carrot, peeled and diced
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 can (8-ounce) tomatoes*, cut up and undrained
1 can (8-ounce) tomato sauce
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 cups cooked macaroni
1 can (15 1/4 ounces) dark red kidney beans**
Parmesan cheese, grated

Procedure:

Saute vegetables in olive oil until onions are transparent, but not browned. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, garlic salt, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer 30 minutes.

Add macaroni and undrained kidney beans. Simmer 20 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve. Makes 4 servings.

*I have searched all over for an 8 ounce can of tomatoes, but could not find any. So, I buy the big can (15 1/4 oz or 16 oz) and use half of it. I wonder why it said 8 ounces can when there is none.

**This also comes in 16 ounces can.

*****************

Someone up there...

2008-08-16T01:39:00.000-07:00

I woke up the other morning and found this work of art by Someone up there.

And the award goes to...ME!

2008-08-11T01:30:00.000-07:00

From: Ev.

To: me.

This lovely award.

I thank Ev; and the academy, the producers, my director, my mentor, the crew, the caterer, the drivers, and...and...

Just playing.

I am passing this to all my sweet blogger friends (laging nilalanggam) and you know who you are. Grab 'em, steal 'em, copy and paste 'em, or whatever way you can, just do it! You hear! I mean, you read! :-D

***********

I hope I got Ev close enough. My printer ran out of ink and I had a hard time referring to her photo.

Death of a grape.

2008-08-05T23:50:00.000-07:00

Click image to enlarge.

Not wanting to become wine,
Freed itself from the vine.
Down it came falling
But alas, now it's dying.
Landed on a sharp blade
Of a leaf, this young grape,
Met its death with an orchid.
One less fruit for me, or the kids,
Or the birds.

How sad!

I can't bear to see it impaled right through its heart...this seedless green grape.

Award

2008-07-31T23:55:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Ev for this wonderful award. I am so honored. My acceptance speech will follow soon, if I ever make one. har har har.

This award was created originally by Arte y Pico and to be given to bloggers who inspire others with their creativity and their talents, also for contributing to the blogging world in whatever medium. When you receive this award it is considered a "special honor". Once you have received this award, you are to pass it on to 5 others."What a wonderful way to show some love and appreciation to your fellow bloggers!"

I pass this award to the following creative and nice bloggers: Nance, Jeannie, Nona, Pepe (you must have this one already, but just get it and display it on your shelf) and Caryn.

Come on guys, get to work! LOL

Thanks

So long, my friends...

2008-07-25T01:18:00.000-07:00

I tried to recall as much as I can how these
ladies looked like, as I do not have any picture
to copy from. I hope, I got them as close as I can.

I was scrolling down my cellphone's contact list the other day, and found a name that I didn't need anymore. I deleted it, and then deleted another one.

The first was Leila B's name. I met Leila about 6 years ago through another friend (Carrie). She and Carrie lived in the same apartment complex. Whenever I would go to Carrie's to work on artworks for the church's fund raising, Leila would stop by to say hi; or we would call her to have lunch with us.

She was a petite lady - about 4' 11" in height, weighed about 90# +-. She was perky and always greeted me with, "Hi, Mari. You look good." And one time I said, "Lei, I would like to lose at least 10#, if I can. I'm overweight." She thought I should not and that I'm perfect as I am. Of course, I am not. Her reason for thinking so is because of her physical condition: She was underweight.

She told me that many years ago she was as tall as my 5' 2". She was in a car accident which almost took her life; had to undergo physical therapy for a year before finally getting her life back to normal...almost. She fractured a bone which caused her to lose some bone density and thereby shrinking her height. I've forgotten the name of the bone, and her scientific explanation.

Although she had been ill for quite some time, her spirit, however, was always up. There was always a smile on her face.

She passed away 4 weeks ago.

The other name was Ritsuko's. She was from Nagasaki, Japan; petite, just like Leila. I met her through Junko San, about 3 years ago. She had had some major surgery; and had been living on borrowed time.

She played the shamisen and showed me pictures of her in her kimono when she was young. She spoke English very well, with very little accent. She was bright, funny and witty; photogenic and very fashionable. She always wore color coordinated clothes with matching shoes and purses. She loved to wear hats.

She passed on 4 months ago.

Their names were deleted, but they'll not be forgotten. I'll miss these two nice ladies. May they rest in peace.

What a hairstyle!

2008-06-27T00:48:00.000-07:00

Well, Nini, my friend, I'm sorry to disappoint you. It wasn't Arnel Pineda I drew. This one I've just finished had a wild hairdo, one that was ahead of his time. Some of the young men nowadays sport similar hairstyle. They don't carry combs to groom their hair anymore; they don't need hairsprays to keep it in place. Those days are gone. During those days, however, this guy sported the style of today; of the 21st century.

Why him? George Clooney is too good looking. And, so is Brad Pitt...and other Hollywood cuties. Albert Einstein had more character, and he was also cute when he was young.

Walk this way~~~>

Top of the world...

2008-06-12T00:36:00.000-07:00

Sunday night my husband and I were watching the second game of the NBA finals when it was apparent that the team we were rooting for was losing. It was the third quarter and the L. A. Lakers have a deficit of 20 points behind the Boston Celtics. We were getting disappointed. My husband started flicking the remote from channel to channel. We thought we would rather watch another show...something to enjoy. Then he remembered the set of Journey album I just purchased earlier. It has 2 cds of their old and new songs; and a dvd of their recent Las Vegas Concert. He put the dvd on play; we sat back, relaxed and watched.

The album.

In this album our own Arnel Pineda was introduced as the new lead singer of the group, the Journey. By this time everyone knows the cinderella story of Arnel; how he landed the coveted part in a legendary group; and his life as a struggling singer back home, the Philippines. For Arnel it must have been like a dream; like a story from a book, or something from a G movie.

The Journey with Pineda in the foreground.

As we sat watching the concert, we were amazed at how energetic Arnel was; his showmanship was at par with other singers; and his voice was great. His transition from high to low was so smooth. I've heard of how he's being compared to the past vocalist of the group. It is to be expected. And others have mentioned his accent. I couldn't detect any. That could be because, I have an accent myself. But then there are other singers out there whose accents are very evident even in their songs. Take for instance Andrea Bocelli. He's an Italian tenor, and when he sings some English lines the accent is there; Sarah Brightman's Italian lyrics shows her American English accent, and there are others still, like the late Pavarotti and Julio Iglesias. Of course, we all have accents when speaking a language not our own.

This is my first time to really listen to all the songs of the group. The truth is I never heard of them before, though some of their songs sound familiar to me. I like most especially their latest one - After All These Years. Arnel sings this one tenderly, passionately.

Click here to listen --->After All These Years

I wish him more success in the coming years.

In the backyard

2008-06-07T12:01:00.000-07:00

This was my apricot harvest this year. I had more left in the tree, but the birds helped themselves to it. It did not have a lot this year, but they were much bigger and sweeter this time. I planted the tree some 20 years ago, a year after we purchased the property. I love fruit trees and apricot is just one of them.

And here on a shell 'parol' a hummingbird refurbished an old nest which was used by another, or maybe the same hummingbird. The bird is now incubating the 2 pea-sized eggs it has laid.

Last year there were 2 eggs in that same nest, but another creature attacked it and ate the eggs which left the mother bird mourning for her loss. Hopefully, this time, it will be out of reach of a predator.

This hummingbird is so aloft. Every time I step in the patio it takes off. But there was a time, when I was watering my plants it hovered around me, checking me out perhaps. I could hear the wings whirring. It came as close as 4 ft., staring at me. That was the closest it got. But I could never get that close to its nest. The nest is about 12 feet away from the pigeon's nest/basket.

From my kitchen window I could see the bird come and go to its nest, and it's a delight to watch it.

To meme or not to meme?

2008-05-30T01:39:00.000-07:00

My meme.

I have so many in mind to post, however, I can't seem to pick the best one to do at this time. I can't crank up my brain to do some work, and meme is right here, and a good filler. This one was a tag from Nona.

Here goes:
Memoirs of my 4th year of high school. How much I remember and how much of it I regret.

The section I am in.
There were only 2 classes in my 4th year of high school: the morning class and the evening class. The lower years have more sections. Since I am not a morning person, I took the evening class. Another reason for it is that maybe I could find a part time job during the day, like some of my classmates.

My seatmates.
I was seated in the front row, on the left side facing the board. On my left was cousin Jess, and on my right was Claudia.

My English teacher.
Her name was Miss Pagulayan. Years later on I heard she became a principal of the school.

My first class.
English...I think.

Friends in the lower years.
Yes. Some of them were good friends.

My class schedule.

It was a regular class with not too many extra curricular activities.

My enemies.

None what so ever.

My favorite teacher.
My English teacher, Miss Pagulayan.

Sports I played.
None in school. I played badminton at home; basketball in my back yard; and swam in my backyard.

Was I a party animal?
We would usually have a party in our backyard. When it would be somewhere else, I would go, with my parents' consent; and my cousin Jess was usually my partner/escort.

I was well known in school.
Since it was a small school, it was easy to be well known. I was one of the officers of the student council and did classroom to classroom campaigning; a muse of something on a float; a muse of another thing on a float; and I'm so amused on a float.

Skip classes.
Not in my senior year.

Suspended or expelled?
Nope.

Can sing the Alma Mater song.
I don't think we ever had one.

My favorite subject.
Literature.

Went to dance parties.
Yes...yes...yes.

Where I would go most often for school breaks.
In the campus, or me and my friends would walk to the public market, where some stalls were still open at night, and buy snacks.

On the last day of school.
I hanged out with my classmates and we talked about where we were heading; what school we were going to; what courses we were going to take. We never seemed to realize that after we graduate we would hardly see each other anymore. After graduation the reality set in. We went to different schools, and once in a while we would run into each other.

My best friend in my sophomore year passed away right after graduation. She lived some 4 miles away from my home. Her mother knowing that I was her best friend, let me know of her passing away. During the vigil I was always introduced as her best friend, although, we had not been hanging out with each other when I transferred to evening classes. Jasmin was her name, she was in the morning class. She would wait for me, when I would go to school in the morning for my library work. She was a nice, pretty young girl.

Regrets?
None at all.

Okay, it's done. I am not going to tag anybody. Any one who would like to do this is free to do so.

***************

Walk this way...

2008-05-23T05:29:00.000-07:00

...and come visit him.

ENTER

Visit His Holiness.

2008-05-15T10:00:00.000-07:00

Take any mode of transportation, get there any way you can. Walk to the door and knock gently. Enter (click here) walk softly and say hello to His Holiness, The Dalai Lama.

...And there's more!

2008-05-10T23:50:00.000-07:00

About a week ago a couple of pigeons were making trips to and from atop the brick column of the pergola, a few feet away from the basket. They were building a nest. A few days later, while watering my plants I found one of them sitting on the nest already. There is a drawback though about the place. It is easily accessible to predators. There is a grape trunk winding its way along the column to the top of the pergola. The nest is in danger of lurking cats, lizards, rats and other rodents. There is no way we can protect the nest.

Click photo to enlarge.

Three days after I found the nest, I went back to check on it...and...gasp...it's no longer there. The place was clean, no trace of the nest at all. I looked down and there it is the remains of the nest, right down below, strewn on top of my plant.

Oh, sad, so sad. A predator got to it before the eggs were hatched. The attacker must be that big cat with bushy gray unkempt fur, walking nonchalantly in my backyard. Why that f&%c$#i&n%g? I am so mad at these cats who stroll in my backyard like it's their own. I should get a big dog to chase them out of my property.

I only hope that the birds find a good safe place for their next nest.

On the other side of the pergola, there is good news.

The eggs in the basket have hatched!

The chicks are tucked under the mom or dad.

What I have observed with this kind of birds is that the couple share the responsibilities. They build the nest together; they take turn brooding; and perhaps feeding the hatchlings. I have seen one of them fly in, and takes its turn; and the other one takes off.

To this day, mom or dad is still brooding the chicks.

There is a lot of activity going on in the backyard, if I look close enough. Aside from the pigeons that have been nesting in my pergola, other birds have turned to shrubs or trees.

I have noticed recently that a small bird keeps flying in and out of this juniper shrub. I thought I would satisfy my curiosity by looking in the thick foliage.

And, voila, this is what I found...a small nest with some eggs. To me they look like quail eggs.

I'll keep an eye on it, and shoo away creatures on the hunt for food.

New Occupants

2008-04-30T23:49:00.000-07:00

I noticed a week ago that there were birds coming and going in the basket. There was a time there were 2 of them. One sitting inside the basket and the other perched at the edge. I have wondered if these birds were just visiting or resting.

A couple of days later, as I was going out of the door to the patio, a bird was flying towards the basket. As she or he took sight of me, it took a detour and landed on the wrought iron fence. It waited there for a while. I looked at the bird and I noticed that it was carrying, in its beak, a piece of twig. It must be refurbishing the old nest then, I thought to myself. It is the same kind of bird, a pigeon.

Days went by when I took a peek at the basket and there was a bird inside. It seems it's laying eggs, just like the other bird. My basket is a popular place for these birds; and they picked the biggest one. They must think it as a mansion. I have other baskets on that same pergola, but they are smaller.

Here is the new tenant, caught in the act of laying eggs!

I'm now giving this basket to the birds, it's full of poop anyway. LOL

It pays to wander...

2008-04-24T23:16:00.000-07:00

As I bloghopped to some fave spots of mine, I stumbled on a giveaway by Indiaartist. As she had mentioned the first commentator, in her post, will get an oil painting from her. I made it to the first, and others who were not lucky enough, didn't jump in anymore. Days, weeks and more weeks passed by and no sign of the painting coming my way. And then, finally, it came. Beautiful painting, a style of her own. I wish I could do the same.

The lovely apple...is right here.

Little Birdies Flew Away

2008-04-07T02:20:00.000-07:00

The mother hen with her chicks.
(click photo to enlarge)

I was quite busy since that time I took a peek at the nest and found those 2 eggs, and I never got the chance to get a shot at them. About sometime last week I noticed that the mother seem to be feeding her little babies. They have hatched then! I thought I would take a peek and if the mother would fly, that would be it. She, however, sat there staring at me. So, I aimed my camera high above my head and took several shots. I got her with her chicks huddling by her side, keeping warm on that cold early morning. They have tucked their heads underneath her.

About an hour or so later, I noticed that the mother was not there. I stepped on a chair again, and peered above the basket, and there they are the chicks. They have grown so much already. They are no longer the teeny weeny little chicks, that are almost bare of feathers.

The chicks
(click photo to enlarge)

When I first found those two little eggs, I thought I would record their progress when they are hatched. But I've been busy lately I never got the chance to do it.

Yesterday morning my cousin told me that she didn't see the eggs. She wondered what happened to them. I told her, "Well, they have flown away then. I mean, the chicks are gone."

And she stared at me and said, "You mean they have hatched and grown and flown?"

"Yes, manang, they are big enough to fly already. They have flown."

And they left the nest with their poop - those dark grey little round stuff with a speck of white in them. That I have to clean for the next tenant.

********************

The "I" meme

2008-03-27T01:20:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by Ghee, the lovely, to do this meme. I'm a private person, and I don't normally post so much personal things about me. For Ghee's sake, however, here are some tidbits about me, myself and I.

I am a wife; mother of 2.

I want to travel the road less traveled.

I have 2 hands. They are left and right.

I wish I could do above - travel more.

I hate war.

I fear snakes.

I search for the end of the rainbow. There's supposed to be a pot of gold there.

I wonder why I couldn't wander...just wondering.

I regret some things I have done and said.

I love to dream. he he he

I always see both sides. That's the Libra in me.

I am not a snob. I just don't have a smiling face. (Mukhang suplada baga)

I danced. I used to. Hubby can't dance so that's the end of it.

I sing? I can't carry a tune; not even when I hum; not even in the shower. I'm a basket case when it comes to singing. I envy those who can sing.

I cry and I cried when I'm reminded of my parents and siblings; and the times we have had together. I miss them a lot. Getting teary eyed already here.

I write whatever comes to mind. However, some of them are unprintable. Bad grammar, I guess.

I won? I wish, I had won the lotto. Three million dollars is not bad. I could use it to pay my debt, and maybe buy a couple of Hummers, a beach house in the Bahamas and shop till I drop.

I am confused, so very confused.

I need sometime to relax.

I should be relaxing by now, getting my beauty nap. I might still have a chance to become a beauty.

The last thought I go to sleep with is I hope I get to sleep tonight.

The End.

There it is. Done. Who to tag? Whoever wants to do it.